Snapshot
by Thefinalkey
Summary: She hadn't thought it was a big deal, leaving him along for extended periods of time. He was old enough to take care of himself and he was smart enough to stay out of too much trouble. Or so she thought... "Why is my brother a midget now?" OC, Shinichi has an older sister who is not pleased. Black Organization beware, she is out for blood.
1. Chapter 1

**I made the mistake of listening to Detective Conan music when writing and this story decided to infiltrate my mind and take over everything I was doing at the time. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Chapter 1: Youth Potion**

It was late at night when the plane landed. Rain fell from the sky, just enough to fill the air with the refreshing smell of clean air. Many of the passengers had slept through the last few hours of the flight, their eyes groggy with sleep. As they stumbled to gather their belongings one passenger in particular closed the book she had been reading and looked out into the rain. With a quick flick of her wrist she placed the book back in her carry on, a medium sized green backpack, and hefted the straps onto her shoulders.

She yawned loudly as she stepped off the airplane, rubbing at her eyes. It had been a long few weeks and she was looking forward to relaxing.

Pulling the light grey hood attached to her sweatshirt over her head, covering her shoulder blade length hair, she put in her headphones and stuffed her hands in her pockets. With slow, lazy steps she made her way to the baggage claim, her brilliant blue eyes scanning the crowd as she went.

 _"I hope Shinichi didn't do anything stupid while I was gone,"_ she thought to herself, maneuvering through the crowd so that she could grab her luggage. _"I've been away longer than this before, but mom or dad usually stopped in to check on him. They've been gone far longer than I have this time."_

Lifting her medium sized duffle bag off the conveyer belt and onto her shoulder, moving it around so that it didn't get in the way of her backpack, she grabbed the handle of her purple suitcase and stepped quickly towards the exit.

"Taxi!" she called, waving her free arm in the air. She caught the eye of one of the drivers and as they made their way towards her she pulled her hood further over her face to block out the rain. The car pulled in front of her and the driver got out to help her load her things.

"Good evening Ms." the older man tipped his hat in greeting with a warm smile. He looked to be in his late 50's, with a thick, grey mustache. He reminded her of a kind old grandfather, with most of his wrinkles moving to match his smile perfectly.

"Evening," she smiled back, glancing at the sky. It was near pitch black, both due to the late hour and the dark storm clouds. "How are you today?"

"Just fine, thank you for asking," the man slammed the trunk closed and opened the side door for her. She smiled gratefully and slid into her seat, opting to keep her backpack with her. The car smelt distinctly like cinnamon and pine trees, which was and interesting combination but was surprisingly soothing to her tired mind.

"Where are you headed ma'am?"

"Beika City please. District 2, block 21."

"That'll be about an hour or so drive, depending on the traffic," he informed her, pulling out into the street.

She relaxed into her seat with a sigh. "Just enough time for a nap."

The taxi driver chuckled. "Long flight?"

"Very."

In response the man turned the radio on low, to which she was grateful. She pulled the headphones out of her ear and wrapped them around her music player before placing it in her bag. Stretching her arms slightly, she rested the back of her head on the chair and looked out the window.

"…a modern day Holmes is what the public has taken to calling him, and I can see why!" the news announcer's voice crackled over the radio. "Just earlier today it was reported that a murder happened at our very own Tropical Land Amusement Park. Young Kudo had been on the same ride as the victim, and solved the mystery in a heartbeat. Quite a feat for a high schooler, I must say!"

The driver hummed thoughtfully, turning onto the highway. "I've been hearing about that kid quite a bit recently. Only a student and yet he's solving crimes and helping the police."

She smiled, resting her chin in her hand. "He's pretty smart alright."

"His family must be very proud."

She closed her eyes, allowing the quiet sounds of the windshield wipers moving swiftly back and forth mixed with the radio to lull her into a light doze. "…They certainly are."

-00-

"Here we are Ms." the man's voice shook her from her nap.

Stretching her arms in front of her, she looked out at the familiar house the car was parked in front of. It had three upper floors visible from the outside and was very spacious. The second floor had wide windows and a balcony that went all the way around the front while the top floor was mainly attic space with a few windows spaced so that during sunset it would light up the walls in a fiery glow. A cement fence with a nicely designed iron gate and a small gathering of trees surrounded the bottom floor and front yard. There used to be a wide array of flowers in the flower beds but neither her nor her brother were able to care for them as often as they had to after their parents moved away.

"Home sweet home," she smiled lightly. Grabbing her wallet from her backpack she pulled out the required amount of money for the drive as well as a good-sized tip for the pleasant company.

"Thank you very much," the driver tilted his hat.

"Think nothing of it, uh…" she trialed off, and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I don't think I ever got your name."

The man laughed and stepped out to help her unload her baggage. "Tenzou Arashi," he offered.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Tenzou-san," she shook his hand and grabbed her bags. "Have a good night."

"You as well Ms." he paused when getting back into the car. "Ah, I don't think I ever got your name either!  
"Shizuka. Kudo Shizuka."

Tenzou tipped his hat towards her once more before closing the door and driving away. She wondered if he would put two and two together in regards to the news report they had listened to for the entire drive.

Shrugging, Shizuka gathered her things and walked into the house, tilting her head slightly when she caught the tail end of the phone ringing.

"Few seconds earlier and I could have gotten that," she muttered, placing her bags along the wall so that they were out of the way but easy enough to grab when she eventually went upstairs. Wondering if her brother was still awake she went towards the room they had all dubbed the 'library' due to the massive amounts of books they kept there. "Not that I should have to. Is Shinichi so caught up in those books that he couldn't hear the phone?"

Shizuka stepped into the room, pausing at how dark it was. The only light source was the occasional flashes of lightning that made her blink to clear the spots from her eyes. There was no sign of anyone else and nothing seemed out of place.

"Not reading then," she sighed, plopping into a large chair along the edge of the room. _"Sleeping? He did apparently solve a case today, and I didn't actually tell him I was coming home today."_

Deciding that she was far to tired to actually make her way up the stairs, Shizuka simply relaxed further into the chair and laid her head down on one armrest while throwing her legs over the other end. The library had always smelled like fresh books to her, and it was very relaxing.

 _"I've slept in worse places, and I can't keep my eyes open much longer. I'll say hi to him tomorrow."_

With one final yawn, she tugged the blanket off the back of the chair, tucked it around herself, and drifted off to sleep.

-00-

"…had a unique side effect and it has made your body shrink," a familiar voice stated, making Shizuka frown.

She was very comfortable and warm and not ready to wake up at all.

"That's how it seems to be," a smaller, more childish voice replied. "Really! My primary school uniform actually fits me!" There was a small pause. "I'll depend on you, professor. Aren't you a genius? Help me make a drug that can return me to my former self!"

Shizuka felt her eye twitch. The voice sounded very whiny on that last part and it reminded her of when her brother was little. He had been such an annoying kid when he wanted to be and that tone was the exact same one he used when he wanted something.

 _"Not that he's much better now,"_ she rubbed her eyes, peering over her blanket to see the visitors.

Professor Agasa was easy to recognize. He was rubbing his chin thoughtfully, which made his mustache quiver slightly in a way that always amused her. He was wearing his usual lab coat, which she had rarely ever seen him without. She shook her head in exasperated fondness when she noticed his slippers. The old things had definitely seen better days, but he had always chosen to wear them after Shinichi had given them to him one year for his birthday. He was arguing with some kid near the desk her father often used whenever he was home.

 _"Who's the kid?"_ she wondered, squinting slightly.

"…I can find them and get the drugs they used!" the kid exclaimed excitedly, a few bits of hair flying around as he moved.

Shizuka blinked. _"Drugs? What the hell?"_

"Well, that may be useful," Agasa nodded, furthering her shock. The professor suddenly frowned down at the kid. "Listen up Shinichi. If those men in black knew you were still alive, they would definitely come and kill you! This is a very dangerous situation, they can not find out your survived."

Shizuka blinked languidly, not sure she had hear right. _"Shinichi? The kid?"_ The rest of the conversation processed in her head. _"Who the hell will kill him?!"_

Agasa grabbed the kid's shoulders with a serious look she had never seen on him. "We have to keep this between the two of us. You cannot tell anyone, not even Ran! If they find out you are still alive they might come after you and those around you!"

 _"They're even mentioning Ran. What could have possibly happened while I was gone?!"_

"Shinichi!" A sudden voice called making the two panic. "Are you here?"

"It's Ran!" the kid panicked, flailing around.

Agasa ushered him behind the desk, ordering him to hide. Only a moment later, a fairly tall brunette entered the room looking annoyed.

"If you're back, why didn't you answer my call?" she demanded, dark brown eyes darting around when she walked in. She paused near the entrance of the room when she caught sight of the professor. "Professor Agasa? What are you doing here? Where is Shinichi?"

"Oh, uh, Ran-chan, you see-" Agasa stuttered.

Shizuka just stared at the ceiling in shock, trying to understand what she had just seen and heard.

There was a small thump from the desk, making Ran look up curiously. "Oh, is someone here? Shinichi! Is that you?" She brushed past Agasa and peeked around the edge. "Really," she shook her head in confusion but smiled kindly at the small boy hidden behind the desk. "Don't be shy!" she called, kneeling down towards him. She wondered why a kid was in her best friends house, but the thought flew from her head once she got a good look at him. His face was small and round, framed by nearly to big glasses. A few strands of dark hair stuck up out of the back of his head and he had a beautiful pair of sky blue eyes.

"This kid," she breathed, not noticing how the child tensed. "He's so cute!"

Shizuka looked over again to watch the kid get smothered by one of Ran's hugs. There was a small blush on his face as she held him tightly to her chest.

 _"Oh my god,"_ she thought in shock. _"It really is Shinichi!"_

Ran smiled brightly and turned towards Agasa. "Who is this kid?"

Agasa jumped, obviously unnerved. "Oh, uh, one of my relatives."

"Ah," she nodded. "What's your name?"

"M-My name," the kid, Shinichi stuttered. "Uh, it's Shin-, no, uh…" he looked around him. "Conan!" he shouted after glancing at the books behind him. "My name is Edogawa Conan!"

Shizuka smacked her face and shook her head. _"Seriously? That's what the best the 'modern day Holmes' can come up with?"_

"What a strange name," Ran tilted her head.

"Uh, well, it's because my dad is a fan of Conan Doyle's novels so…"

Ran nodded, peering at him closely. "You know, you look a lot like Shini-"

"That's right!" Agasa suddenly exclaimed, making everyone jump. "Ran-chan, I'm sorry about this, but can you take this child and let him live with you for a little while?"

 _"Oh god,"_ Shizuka internally moaned. _"This is just getting worse and worse. What on earth is going on?!"_

"This kid's parents were in an accident and they asked me to look after him," Agasa explained while grabbing Shinichi when he made a move to protest. "But I live alone and I have no idea how to take care of a child. A lot of my experiments could be dangerous for a kid to be around too."

Ran thought about it for a moment. "I can do it, but I'll need to discuss it with my dad first."

"Really? That's great, isn't it Conan?"

Shizuka could only watch on as the two males had a hushed conversation. Whatever reason Agasa had cooked up seemed to calm Shinichi down, and he nodded his agreement.

"Perfect! Ran, why don't you go call you father and I'll watch over Conan?" Agasa suggested. Ran nodded and left the room, waving at 'Conan' as she went.

"Honestly, this has become such a mess," Shinichi complained.

"I'll say," Shizuka deadpanned, rolling her eyes as the two whirled around to face her. "What on earth have you gotten yourself into this time, little brother?"

"Shizuka!" Agasa exclaimed when she sat up and pushed her hood off her head. She had forgotten she had left it on. "What are you doing here?!"

Shinichi simply stared at her in shock.

"Well," she started, running a hand through her light brown, nearly blonde, hair to work out any tangles, "I was sleeping. I got back not too long ago and I decided to relax in here. I think the better question is, why is my brother a midget now? Last time I checked he was a teenager, not a toddler."

Agasa started to stutter out an excuse when Shinichi simply cut him off. "It's to late for that Professor, we have to tell her."

"But Shini- I mean, Conan-"

"No," he shook his head. "Shizu's been here the whole time, and we can trust her. Right?"

Shizuka raised an eyebrow when he looked up at her. "Of course you can, I'm your sister."

Shinichi sighed and rubbed his head. "Everything happened earlier today. I was at the amusement park with Ran. We went on one of the rollercoaster rides and one of the other passengers was murdered," he explained, quickly going over the case. "There were two other passengers that caught my eye. They were dressed entirely in black and one of them…" Shinichi looked out the window with a troubled expression. "His eyes weren't normal. They were too cold. They were acting suspiciously and I just knew they were up to no good. I sent Ran home and then I found them making a deal with some business tycoon type of guy. They were blackmailing him. Apparently he had been smuggling weapons and the guys in black had photographic evidence." He rubbed the back of his head. "It gets kind of hazy after that. One of the men, the tall skinny one, found me and hit me in the back of the head. At first they were going to shoot me, but the police were still around. They started talking about a new kind of poisonous drug that had never been tested on humans before. They forced me to take it and the next thing I know I'm a kid."

Shizuka took a deep breath in and held it for a good few moments. Letting it out in one big exhale, she strained her ears to hear Ran arguing with her father over the phone. Confident that they wouldn't be heard, she reached forward quickly and grabbed Shinichi by the ear.

"Ow! What the heck are you doing?!"

Shizuka refused to relent, even when Agasa took a hesitant step forward. She simply sent the Professor a chilling glare and twisted her brother's ear further. "So what you are telling me," she started, her voice low and threatening, "is that you followed two suspicious men who very clearly had ill intentions, without any back up or protection? When not moments before you informed me that there was a murder investigation, which would mean that there were plenty of police officers nearby who were trained for situations such as this? Police officers that these criminals where clearly aware of, making them even more paranoid and watchful? You also failed to tell anyone, even your date, where you were going in case they found you and either killed or kidnapped you?"

Shinichi glared at her and opened his mouth only to hiss when she pulled him closer to her by pulling harshly on his ear.

"Don't you dare tell me it was the right thing to do. You are supposed to be a veritable genius, Shinichi. Lets try to put that to the test, shall we?" She let go of his ear, allowing him to massage it in an attempt to relieve the pain. "What if the poison had killed you, hmm? You are the only one who had suspicions about these men, or at least enough to follow them, and by the sounds of it the poison was experimental. Do you know how hard it is to track newly created drugs or chemicals? Especially ones that had never been tested on humans before? Tell me, Shinichi, did they explain what the drug was _supposed_ to do?"

She felt a severe case of déjà vu when he huffed and looked off to the side.

"…The tall one said it was something that couldn't be detected. I don't know what it was supposed to do, but it felt like my body was on fire and my heart was about to burst," he mumbled.

Shizuka's eyes widened, an emotion Shinichi couldn't identify in time passing though them before she regained control of herself. "Oh, well, that's perfect. That means that not only would they have made a clean get away, but their method of killing would have never been discovered. All you would have accomplished would have been throwing away your own life."

Shinichi glowered at her, his dark blue eyes just as intent as hers. Yusaku had always complained about how neither of them had his eyes.

"I couldn't let them get away, and Ran new I was suspicious about them!"

"Then she would have gone to find help after realizing you were missing. If these killers were smart, and by the sounds of things they are both intelligent and powerful, then they would be keeping an eye out for any claims about them. Then who would be in danger?"

Shizuka closed her eyes when her brother clenched his fists and looked away.

"Look, Shinichi, what's done is done. You made mistakes that should have gotten you killed, but by some miracle you are alive and you have been given the prefect hiding place. No one would believe this. I hardly believe this. I doubt there is anything I can do to stop you from tracking these guys down, but you have to play it smart. You can't go making stupid mistakes like this again. You _can not_ draw attention to yourself unless your are one hundred percent sure that you can handle any backlash that comes your way and even then I urge you to be cautious. Do you understand?"

Shinichi suddenly sighed, a bitter smile twisting his lips. Shizuka hated that look on her brother when he was his regular self, on his child self it just made her heart hurt.

"I made a mistake, alright?" he admitted, never one to turn away from the truth. "I put myself and maybe Ran in danger, but it won't happen again. I'll find them Shizu, and I'll fix this. On my own."

They stared each other down in the tense silence that followed, making Agasa shift nervously from foot to foot.

The door suddenly opened and Ran came in looking pleased. "Alright Conan-kun, I've talked to my dad and we would be happy to- Shizuka?!"

The two immediately broke away, Shinichi grinning childishly and crossing his arms behind his head while Shizuka gave Ran a warm smile.

"Hello Ran-chan, it's been awhile."

Shizuka stood up when Ran rushed over to hug her. Shinichi made his way over to Agasa as the two embraced, glaring at the wall when he knew Ran wasn't looking.

"When did you get back? It's been so long!" Ran grinned, pulling back to look at her.

"Just a few hours ago, I was actually sleeping in here when you first arrived."

Ran looked from her to the chair she had just left and chuckled sheepishly. "I… didn't notice. Sorry."

Shizuka shrugged. "No big deal, you seemed pretty distracted. How are you?"

The other girl's eyes suddenly widened and she grabbed Shizuka's arms roughly. "Shinichi! Have you seen him? I've tried calling and the last time I saw him-!"

Shizuka grabbed her hands and rolled her eyes. "Relax Ran, he's fine. He called not to long ago and said he found an interesting case to work on. He won't be home for a little while is what he told me."

Ran's expression turned angry. "That idiot! I was worried for nothing!"

Shizuka patted her shoulder consolingly. "Don't be to harsh on him, at least he's doing something that helps people."

The enraged teen sighed and shook her head. "I know, it's just that- well, he didn't tell me anything! If you hadn't told me I would have worried for days thinking he'd been kidnapped. Or worse!"

"I know, and I'm glad he has such a good friend to keep an eye on him." Shizuka sent Shinichi a sharp glance before looking at the clock on the wall. "Well, it's getting late. Why don't head back home with Conan…chan and get some rest. I'll let you know if Shinichi calls again."

Ran gave her a weary smile. "Alright, thank you Shizuka. I'm glad you're back."

"Me too Ran-chan. I'll see you tomorrow," she waved at the other girl when she turned to go, holding Shinichi's hand as she went. "Behave Conan-chan. Don't cause Ran or her father any trouble."

Only Shinichi heard the sharp undertone in her voice, making him scowl once more. He waved happily when Ran looked down at him.

"Bye-bye Professor Agasa!"

Once they heard the door close Shizuka sunk down into the chair and rested her head in her hands.

"Well," Agasa breathed out, "that was certainly something."

"Yeah," Shizuka let out a weak laugh.

Agasa ran a hand over his mustache, his thoughts troubled. "This is going to be very dangerous. Who knows who these 'men in black' are or how dangerous they could be. Making a poisonous drug like that is not something easily done. It's nearly impossible. We should be very careful about how we proceed."

He turned to her only to freeze when he realized she was shaking. Her hands were buried in her hair, the knuckles white from how tightly she was gripping the strands.

"Shizuka?" he called hesitantly, reaching out to place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"…He almost died today," she whispered in horror, the words barely discernible. "He should have died. This kind of miracle, it just doesn't happen! He would have died and- and I never would have seen him again. I don't even remember the last conversation we had before I left! That would have been the last memories I ever had of him and I can't even remember what we said! Were we arguing? Were we laughing? I don't know! I don't know Agasa!"

Agasa stared at her in shock when her head shot up to meet his gaze. Her normally bright blue eyes where dark and the whites were tinged red as tears sped down her face. Her hair was a mess and she was paler than he had ever seen her. The last time he had seen her cry was when she was seven and her father was in the hospital for overworking himself. Kneeling down quickly, he pulled her into a hug like he had done all those years ago, tears tugging at his own eyes.

He hadn't wanted to think about it. How he had almost lost that brilliant boy. How impossible Shinichi surviving actually was and how easily they could have lost him instead of gaining a tinier version of the genius detective.

"We almost lost him Agasa," Shizuka sobbed, the image of her brother lying dead on the ground refusing to leave her mind. "What would we have done? What would I have told mom and dad? I'm supposed to take care of him, be there for him, and he almost died! I was off in some other country, more focused on tracking down some petty criminals than making sure my baby brother was safe! H-he… He almost died!"

Agasa tightened his hold on her, unable to stop the tears from falling any longer. "But he didn't," Agasa murmured, feeling his glasses fog up from the moisture. "He is alive and he is safe." Agasa glanced up at the picture of the Kudo family hanging on the wall of the library. Shinichi was twelve and Shizuka was seventeen. They were both smiling widely as their parents looked on with matching grins. "There was nothing either of us could have done to prevent this, we had no idea what would happen. But we know now. We can help him and keep him as safe as we possibly can. This will never happen again Shizuka."

She pulled back, her eyes cold and unforgiving. "They will not get away with this Professor. They targeted my family, our family. They almost took him from us and if they knew he was alive they would try again."

Agasa nodded, his own determination rising. The Kudo family was everything to him, and no one would take them from him. "Shinichi isn't alone."

"No," Shizuka nodded, " he is not. And he never will be. I'm centering my work in Beika from now on. No one is touching my family ever again."

As the two discussed ways to help the miniaturized detective, Shinichi himself was speeding away in a car alongside Ran and her father. There had been a kidnapping and he had jumped at the chance to solve a case. It was the best way to keep his mind focused, and focused was exactly what he needed to be.

"Never again," he muttered, laughing obnoxiously when Kogoro looked at him.

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Shizuka Kudo:**

 **Age: 21**

 **Eye color: Blue (just like Shinichi's)**

 **Hair color: Light brown (like Yukiko's)**

 **Height: 5'2**

 **Occupation: Much like Kogoro, she runs a kind of private detective job but it focuses more on criminals that escape and undercover work. If the police can't catch a culprit in time she tracks them down, or if someone comes to her with a case she usually takes the ones that involve long term undercover operations and leaves the murders and other cases like it to Shinichi. Observation, tracking, photography, and disguise are her fortes.**

 **Personality: Her mother has taught her everything she knows about being an actor, and Shizuka uses it to her advantage. Around people she doesn't know she dons whatever personality she feels is needed. Around her friends and family she is normally very calm and analytical. She goes through her day at a relaxed pace but due to years of following criminals she is always on the look out for trouble. Very independent but adores her family. Doesn't have many friends, and most of those she does have she met through her parents or Shinichi.**

 **Hobbies: Her job is her passion so most of her focus is on that. She learned the violin with Shinichi but she prefers the piano over anything else. Reads romance novels (which she hides behind mystery novel covers) and while she never partakes in any herself she enjoys watching people prank each other. Cheesy jokes (why couldn't the bike stand on its own? It was two tired.) make her smile in public and snort chuckle in private. She always has her camera with her when she is on the job and after Shinichi shrinks she carries it everywhere regardless of what is going on.**

 **I don't know what else to put in here that you guys might be interested in at this point. Next chapter up soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Next chapter! Yay! Thank you guys so much for the reviews, I'll try my best to respond to them every chapter.**

 **turquoise ninja 012: I cannot wait for the first Kaito Kid heist, it is going to be so much fun to write! Right now I'm not planning for any pairings but that may very well change later. Shizuka's more focused on helping her brother and getting into any relationship will just put that person in danger so she's not even thinking about it, though your suggestion is interesting. Shizuka is 21 so the age difference isn't that big but I'm still not sure what I'm going to do for that. I'll probably wait until I'm much further along in the story before letting you guys vote on it. Or I'll just see what my brain thinks up, either one. Thanks for being the first review for this story! It means a lot to me!**

 **Kaytil: Thank you so much for your review! I was actually hoping she would come across like that. It always bothered me that no one seemed to realize how close he came to dying. It is going to be the same whenever he changes back as well. He goes through a lot of pain with those changes and everyone that knows just kind of glosses over that. I'm also going to focus on family problems, because they never really showed that in canon and there is no way there wouldn't be with some of the things that happen. Thank you so much for your kind words, it motivated me to finish this chapter sooner than I thought I would.**

 **MidoriEmerald13: Thank you! I'm grateful you think it is unique, I always worry about seeming boring and repetitive in a lot of the things I do so it is nice to hear you think so. I hope you like this next chapter too!**

 **On to the story!**

 **-00-**

 **Chapter 2: Not what I signed up for**

 **-00-**

The minute the alarm went off it was thrown mercilessly to the floor, disconnecting it from its power source on the wall. Shizuka glared out from her bundle of blankets, her eyes feeling puffy and difficult to open.

After her rather embarrassing breakdown the other night, Professor Agasa had offered to make her dinner before she went to sleep. Seeing as how neither of the Kudo siblings could cook to save their lives she immediately accepted and they spent another few hours discussing what to do next.

In the end they came up with little more than to keep an eye out for anything suspicious and don't take unnecessary risks. Neither was very happy with the outcome of their thoughts but not much could be done about it at four in the morning.

With a croaky sounding groan, Shizuka lifted herself into a sitting position, patting down her ridiculous bed head in vain. Plugging the alarm clock back in (with a little more force than needed) she sighed when the numbers lit up.

8:30am.

"Early detective gets the case," she muttered the words their father always offered cheerfully whenever they were forced to wake up sooner than they wanted to.

Rubbing the crusts out of her eye she glanced around her room. The floor was wooden with a small, light brown rug in front of the door. The room itself was a simple light brown color to match her darker brown bed covers. Her bed was twin sized (it fit her perfectly even though Shinichi's feet would dangle over the edge if he were to lay on it) and there was small wooden side table that held her alarm clock and a small lamp. There was only one window, next to her bed, which faced what used to be the garden. There was a small desk in the corner with a large stack of carefully filed binders and folders. The chair was a dark grey and heavily cushioned (she spent way to much time in that chair, she'd be damned if it wasn't at least comfortable to sit in). Two tall bookshelves lined the walls opposite the desk and adjacent to her bed. They were filled with books of varying genres, but mostly covering criminal studies and photography styles. The very bottom shelf on the furthest corner from the door was a small collection of mystery novels (that may or may not actually be dramatic romances. If any one asked, they were about murder and blood). Lastly, her closet off to the side of her desk. It was a simple sliding door compartment with only a few outfits inside. She had brought most of her things with her on her last trip.

Her luggage was still down in the main hallway where she had left it the other night. The trip up the stairs had been nearly impossible as it was, she never would have made it with any added weight.

With a hefty sigh Shizuka moved to stand up, flinching slightly at the coldness of the floor. She hadn't bothered to change when she went to sleep, just kicking off her shoes and socks before face planting into the pillows.

Wiggling her toes a bit until they adjusted to the temperature change she stood up and stretched her arms above her head with a yawn. Smacking her lips together a few times to get rid of the heavy taste of sleep she scratched at her head and moved to the closet to grab a comfortable change of clothes for the day.

Sliding the door open she grabbed a pair of plain jeans and a dark grey t-shirt with a faded picture of the Eiffel tower on the back. Grabbing a random pair of underwear she walked out into the hallway and to the bathroom just a little ways down from her room.

"Shower, food, then planning," she muttered, turning on the water so it could warm up.

-00-

Shizuka stepped into the kitchen barefoot, towel drying the ends of her hair. The kitchen was split into two areas, one filled with the cooking appliances, a cupboard, and a large marble counter while the other had a few shelves that held various pictures, a large wooden table with matching chairs, and a large sliding glass door that led to the backyard. Both areas were painted a light purple (their mother's choice) and the walls were lined with family photos.

Letting the towel fall from her hands to rest on her shoulders, Shizuka headed straight for the coffee machine. As she reached up to grab the filters for the pot she turned on the small TV resting on the counter. The channel was already set at the local news.

 _"Tani Akiko, just ten years old, was taken right from her own backyard just last night,"_ the blonde newscaster stated as a picture of a young girl with light brown hair was shown on the screen. Shizuka frowned at the television as she started pour in the water. _"At the time of the incident only the butler of the household had been with the child and had witnessed her being taken away. Tani-san, fearing for his daughter's safety and not wishing to alert the kidnapper called in a private detective to help find young Akiko."_

Once the coffee maker was finished Shizuka turned towards it, but her eyes never left the screen. She paused, eyes wide, when a picture of Mouri Kogoro was put up next to the picture of the child.

 _ **"**_ _Once a detective for the police force, Mouri Kogoro wasted no time in locating the killer,"_ the newscaster smiled, his eyes crinkling at the edges. _"He used the family pet, Jambo, to help track down the missing girl. Imagine that!"_

Shizuka felt her eyebrows twitch as she poured the coffee into her favorite green mug. **A picture is worth a thousand words, and it tells far more than a single story,** was printed along the sides of it. Shinichi had given it to her for her fifteenth birthday.

The news station started playing a small video in the top corner of the screen and Shizuka's eyes were immediately drawn to it as she took a long drink of the burning hot liquid. A heavy set, well-dressed man (who she immediately assumed to be the father of the kidnapped girl) was shaking hands with Kogoro, professing his gratitude. Kogoro was wearing his usual suit and tie attire, though his dark mustache was far more prominent than she remembered. He was laughing loudly and rubbing at the back of his head.

 _"Overjoyed,"_ her mind instantly supplied. _"Tired. Hasn't been sleeping well. Relieved, and not just because he found the girl."_

Her thoughts were drawn away from Kogoro when the camera shifted slightly to the left, revealing two more people. Ran was standing just a few feet away from her father wearing the same cargo shorts and black shirt Shizuka had seen her in when she left the other day. Ran was even wearing the same light blue jacket. She was looking at her father proudly, but she kept glancing down in concern.

Shizuka tightened her grip on the mug. 'Conan Edogawa' was smiling widely and looking for all the world like a small child. He looked tired as well, but that wasn't what caught her attention. It was the stark white bandage wrapped around his forehead, the dirt stains marring his face, the band aid stuck to his cheek, and the way he carried himself as though his sides hurt that made her clench her teeth and tense in anger.

 _"…an astounding rescue! We have yet to get a statement from Kogoro-san, but Tani-san assures us that-"_

Shizuka reached out and turned the TV off. She set the steaming mug down and placed both of her hands on the counter to steady herself.

"Not even a _day_ ," she groaned, resting her head on the cool marble of the counter.

-00-

Ran smiled happily to herself as she looked at the grocery bags in her hands. The Tani family had been very generous in their reward for finding little Akiko and Ran decided tonight they would have a celebratory feast for the successful case as well as their newest addition to the household.

"I wonder if Conan-kun has any allergies," she frowned. "I should ask him before I make anything."

As she turned the corner to her home she caught sight of a familiar figure leaving the Kudo household.

"Shizuka!" Ran called, picking up her pace to meet the other half way.

Shizuka smiled and waved slightly, ambling towards her with a warm smile.

"Hello Ran-chan, isn't it a bit early for grocery shopping?" she greeted, her hands in her pockets.

Ran grinned brightly. "Dad solved a case last night and saved a little girl. He hasn't gotten any cases recently so he was feeling pretty down, but now he's raring to go! I decided we should celebrate his success and throw a bit of a welcoming party for Conan-kun too!"

"Ah, I heard about that on the news," Shizuka nodded, her gaze wandering as it usually did when she was thinking. "Is everyone alright?"

Ran caught herself mid-nod and shuffled worriedly. "Well, Conan-kun got hurt, but the doctor said it wasn't anything serious. He had been with the dog when it found Akiko-chan and he tried to stop the kidnapper from hurting her. I got there in time but…"

Shizuka looked at her thoughtfully. "I see. Well, I suppose I should thank you then."

Ran looked at her in shock. "Thank me?"

Shizuka shook her head with a tired look and motioned for Ran to start walking again. They began to walk slowly towards the Mouri household side by side.

"Conan-chan is very outgoing," Shizuka started, staring up at the sky as they moved. "He's a lot like Shinichi in the fact that he doesn't fear anything, and that can get him into trouble. I want to thank you for agreeing to watch over him and for saving him last night. He'll be handful, I'm sure, but I feel better knowing he's staying with you."

"You seem to know him very well," Ran noted, blushing lightly at the compliment.

Shizuka smirked. "I've known him since the day he was born. Whenever his parents were busy or Agasa wasn't available I'd be in charge of taking care of him."

"Really? But I've never heard you talk about him!"

She shrugged. "I don't really talk about anything that isn't case related. Besides, whenever we talk I am far more interested in what you and Shinichi have been up to."

Ran laughed, embarrassment making it higher pitched than normal. "Ah, well, there's always a case when Shinichi is around so…Oh! You should come to dinner tonight! And Professor Agasa too!"

Shizuka paused at the steps leading to Ran's home and Kogoro's detective agency. "I would love to come. I'll ask Professor as well when I get back home."

Ran frowned. "That's right, you were going somewhere when I saw you. I hope I didn't pull you away from anything."

"Not at all," Shizuka shook her head with a smile. "I was just going to go for a walk before I stopped by the police department."

"The police department?"

"Yeah. I've been away for a long time and I've been missing home so I'm going to center my work in Beika from now on."

"You can do that?" Ran asked in shock.

"Sure," she shrugged. "I'm a private detective so I can choose what cases I take. There are plenty of criminals that escape the police that stay in the country, so I'll just focus on them."

"Are you sure? What if they try to leave?"

Shizuka smirked. "Then I'll just have to catch them before they do, won't I?" She turned on her heel and started back the way they came from. "I'll be over for dinner and I'll tell you know how it goes, alright?"

Ran smiled and nodded. "Alright. Good luck Shizuka!"

-00-

 **A few hours later**

"I didn't think you'd have something so soon," Shizuka grumbled under her breath, setting up the tripod for her camera in the corner of an empty room.

 _"No rest for the weary I'm afraid,"_ the device in her ear crackled.

"This isn't even a case," she complained, pulling out her camera and debating on what lens she should use. "The guy hasn't even done anything yet, what makes you so sure something will happen?"

 _"You have your sources and I have mine. Do a good job and I might tell you."_

"Tch."

Most of the high profile cases Shizuka worked on were from the police and varying divisions of the law force. Crime rates were on the rise and no one had the time or the manpower to chase after lost cases when just a few streets down some new criminal decided to make a debut. Mistakes happened and sometimes it was all about being in the right place at the right time. Whenever a criminal would get away or they police couldn't legally find anything to pin on them they would come to Shizuka. She would either go undercover to find the information they needed or she would track down the ones that got away.

It hadn't been easy at first. No one believed a shrimp of a girl could do anything, regardless of how smart she was or how famous her family had become. So she had to keep an on eye on the news, working whatever small cases the public would bring to her in the meantime (shadowing adulterers, finding lost items, pose as a maid or nanny to catch a spouse in the act, etc.). Whenever a criminal got away from the police she would hunt them down herself. A few grand successes (and a few embarrassing failures) and those in charge started to take notice.

She met Avelia three years ago, after she had just turned nineteen. She had gotten in fairly deep with a drug circle that liked to use impressionable teens as their scapegoats and all she had to do was change her nose with a bit of plastic, cut her hair, and start preaching about the unfairness of her family (not all of which had been lies) to get in. Then, of course, she had made a stupid mistake and had gotten picked up by a newbie cop for 'behaving suspiciously'.

When they sent in their 'preferred' interrogator she had ripped off the fake nose and threw it at his face before going into a passionate rant about how they may well have ruined the greatest undercover operation of her life and _why the hell was he laughing she would hog tie him with his own thrice damned handcuffs!_

Avelia, as it turned out, was the Chief of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police force and he explained that she had actually been picked up for jaywalking. He thanked her for all of the valuable information she had given them and offered to strike up a deal.

Thus a beautiful relationship was formed.

She would take on the jobs he couldn't afford to spare anyone else for or the ones he couldn't do anything about _because_ he was law enforcement, inform him of how she planned to solve them, and she had to agree to a tracker being placed in her phone ("Just in case you ever get kidnapped and sold to the circus." "That happened _one_ time and that was _no circus!_ " "Sure thing Kranky Koko." "Aghhh!"). In return he would give her a steady influx of cases, backup when needed, access to equipment that would make her job ten times easier, and the funding she needed and refused to ask her family for (disguises could get costly, not to mention her expensive camera equipment).

The more cases she solved and criminals she tracked down the more challenging they became.

The first time she left the country was right before she turned twenty. A man had killed his business partner and stolen all of the money before disappearing off the radar. At first she had tracked him down to a safe house the man had built a few years back but he had been far more paranoid than the criminals she usually went after. He managed to get away and fled the country and she had followed after. She hadn't even really thought about what she was doing until she saw the Eiffel tower, but by then it had been to late to turn back. She sent a text to Avelia ( _Found Shirokawa, in pursuit. In Paris. I'll need a ride back.)_ before chasing the stunned man through several back allies and up a few flights of a random building (government building, she later discovered) and tackled him to the ground, punched him in the face a few times, and tasered him with her phone (courtesy of Professor Agasa) for good measure.

After Avelia got all of the mother henning panic out of his system he congratulated her and the next thing she new trips out of the country became a normal part of her everyday life. Surprisingly, it was not Avelia that gave her those cases. Instead it was other police departments that had heard about what happened as well as some families involved in old cases that wished for the criminal to be found and brought to justice once and for all.

Avelia never said anything besides the customary good luck but she suspected he didn't approve of her little adventures out of the city.

"So who is this man exactly?" she questioned, angling her camera down at the street below her. She was holed up on the fifth floor of a building under renovation. Construction would begin next week but it had been cleared out before hand and it had the perfect vantage point of the company across the street.

" _Where you even listening when I debriefed you?"_

"Of course," she took a few test shots to get the layout of the building and adjust to the glare of the afternoon sun. "But all you really said was that he was suspected of smuggling in weapons using the company as a front. You never actually said who he was."

There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line, which made her rub at her ear irritably.

" _His name is Hotoharu Kazimir. His company deals with electronic imports and has been around for about six years."_

"Kazimir?" Shizuka frowned, snapping pictures of everyone who entered or left the building. "Isn't that a Russian name?"

" _It is. His mother was from Russia but his father was from Beika. They have both passed away."_

"Any other family?"

" _None."_

"Huh," she murmured, twisting the lens so that it zoomed in. "Any known love interests?"

" _Not that I'm aware of."_

"Really? I am pretty sure he's got one," she hit the shutter button continuously.

" _Why?"_

"Cause I'm looking at them. Hotoharu Kazimir, about 5'8, male, heavy set, balding, light skinned with dark brown eyes and a slight limp in his left leg. He also has a very spiky black mustache. Unknown party looks to be about 6ft, male, slightly darker skin, salt and pepper hair. Can't see his face but is dressed formally and is slender in build," Shizuka listed off, keeping her camera trained on the mysterious man in case he turned enough for her to see his face.

" _It could just be a business partner. His schedule shows an appointment around this time."_

"They seem pretty touchy feely for business part- wow," her eyebrows shot all the way to her hairline. "Oh yeah, they are definitely together."

 _"…I hate to ask, but how certain are you?"_

"One hundred percent. Kazimir is currently being shoved into the wall and-"

 _"I believe you,"_ Avelia cut in swiftly. _"I don't need the play by play."_

"At least you get the choice to be ignorant," Shizuka gagged slightly. "My moral code demands I keep my camera trained on… this… for fear of missing something case breaking."

 _"Think about something else."_

She shrugged. "Alright. I want all of my work to be centered around Beika from now on."

 _"Something besides that."_

"Why?" she demanded, following the disturbing scene across the street with forced dedication. "I thought you didn't like me leaving the city anyway."

 _"I don't. You are still young and inexperienced and the cases you were taking were far to high risk. You are not technically part of any law enforcement regimens which limits the support you can get."_

"Then what is the…ugh, the unknown party has a birthmark on their left shoulder blade in the shape of a giraffe. What is the problem?"

 _"…The problem is that you have already taken those jobs and you have completed them with shocking accuracy. A lot of the other divisions are coming to rely on that and to suddenly lose something that has been benefiting them will cause a backlash."_

Shizuka snorted. "They were perfectly fine before I showed up, a few years can not have caused that much of a difference."

 _"Every case makes a big difference, whether big or small in magnitude. The criminals you tend to go after are killers and, worse, they are killers someone has failed to catch before. Getting them off the streets is a big moral boost and a lot of the guilty officers see it as being saved from their mistakes."_

"Unknown party has a scar across the back of his left thigh," her voice was calm despite the fact that her face had gone pale from horror. "Looks like an old knife wound, you should check m-medical." She took a deep breath to steady herself. "S-so basically I help their guilty consciences and they don't want to lose that."

 _"Exactly."_

It was her turn to sigh heavily. "I'm not doing this on a whim Chief. I'm… working a new case."

 _"I didn't hear about that,"_ his voice was sharp. _"We had a deal Kudo."_

"I know," she moved one hand to brush an irritating strand of hair behind her ear. "But I can't tell you about this one. Not yet. I'm not even sure what I'm dealing with at this point and in all technicalities it isn't my case. It's more of a family matter per se. Think plausible deniability."

 _"Kudo-"_

"I can't tell you," she snapped. "I am going to stay in Beika regardless of what anyone else needs and I'll start back at the bottom of the barrel if I have to. I'm getting a refresher course of my old jobs right n- oh my god that is just- ugh."

 _" Shizuka." _The use of her first name made her frown deepen. _"I know you, and whatever mess you have gotten yourself into this time is going to end up like all the other times you refused to ask for help. I thought you were learning, don't fall back on bad habits."_

"I'm not. This is different from any other case I have worked, Chief."

 _"Oh really. Because it is far more dangerous?"_ he sounded tense.

"It might be," she admitted, blanking out her mind so she couldn't actively think about anything but the conversation. "But that isn't the reason. This time-"

There was a loud bang as the glass of Kazimir's office windows shattered. Through the viewfinder of her camera she watched as a sudden bloom of red appeared on the unknown man's back. Kazimir was struggling to move him and she could see him shouting something. There was a second bang and Kazimir fell limp, his head falling so that the other man's shoulder hid it from view.

"Shots fired!" Shizuka yelled, grabbing her camera and leaning out of the window. Whoever had fired those shots had been on her side of the street. Twisting the lens rapidly she scanned the buildings along the street for the shooter. "Kazimir and third party down!"

Slight movement caught her eye in the building next to the one she was in. She twisted just in time to catch the tail end of what appeared to be a black coat disappearing into a window on the eighth floor.

"The advertising building, 88th and 73rd, eighth floor," Shizuka barked out, turning to run out the door. "One shooter spotted, possibly more."

 _"Stay where you are Kudo! We need to know what we are dealing with. I want photos of every single person that goes in and out of that building, do you understand me?"_

Shizuka cursed but turned back to lean out of the window once more. There was a high possibility the shooter would already be gone by the time she got down to ground level and there was no way the police would arrive in time. Matching a face to the gun would be their best bet.

"I've got eyes on the front and left exits, but if they decide to loop around the other side or out the back I'll be blind," she informed him, snapping shots left and right.

 _"Keep your eyes open."_

"I rarely ever close them Chief."

It took the police fifteen minutes to arrive at the scene and by that time Shizuka had taken well over two hundred pictures. Her eyes burned with the need to blink but she refused to close them until the dryness started to affect her vision.

"They're gone," she shook her head. "I saw a few people carrying things that could hide a rifle but most of them had already been outside of the building at the time of the shooting."

 _"You did good, Kudo. Come down to the streets, I need that film as soon as possible."_ Avelia sounded just as tired as she felt.

"On my way," she brushed the back of her hand across her forehead and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Damn."

-00-

Shinichi was stretched out on Agasa's couch, flipping through the news with a bored expression on his face. He had wanted to see how the search for the antidote was coming along but it was obvious the Professor was going to need a lot more time. He decided to stay over with Agasa until dinner. It felt uncomfortable over at the Mouri household and he couldn't think straight with Ran watching over him.

 _"We have reporters on the scene now,"_ a solemn looking newswoman stated as he reached a news channel. Shinichi lifted his head in interest.

 _"We are at the sight of the shooting now,"_ the reporter had to nearly shout to be heard over the panicking crowd. His face was beaded with sweat and his hair was in disarray. _" Just moments ago shots were fired in the Jenko city district near the corner of 88_ _th_ _and 73_ _rd_ _. So far there have only been two reported casualties, believed to be the targets of the shooting."_

The pictures of two men were shown in the top corner of the screen. Shinichi bolted into a sitting position, his face going white. Agasa looked up from the voice changer he was working on.

"Shinichi?" he called worriedly, but the miniature detective ignored him.

 _Hotoharu Kazimir and Hershel Drake lost their lives in this tragic incident. The police are on the scene now, scouring the building they believe the shooter had taken refuge in."_

The camera panned over to the other side of the street, allowing Shinichi to see the building in question.

"That's him," he breathed.

"What?" Agasa came to stand by him.

"That's the man they were talking too!" Shinichi pointed to the picture of Hotoharu Kazimir. "The men in black! The night they poisoned me they were talking to that man!"

"What?!" Agasa cried in shock, turning to stare at the screen as well.

They could see police officers herding civilians to the side as they worked their way through the building. One particular man with a black and white streaked beard was shouting directions, his standard blue police cap pulled low and shadowing his eyes. He was urging the crowd to stand back while they worked. He looked to be in his early 40's with a very muscular build.

Shinichi and Agasa felt their mouths fall open as a small, brown haired woman came to stand by him. Her eyes were narrowed and focused on the crowd, a camera in hand.

"Shizuka?!"

 **And I am going to stop it here, at that little cliffhanger. Mwuahahahah!**

 **When I was writing this chapter I was worried about bringing in Kazimir (not sure why I made him Russian but meh) in because I simply could not remember if he was ever brought back up. He was in the very first chapter and episode of Detective Conan (the guy they were blackmailing about the gun smuggling) and I searched for a good hour and half to see if he ever popped back up for another case or something or even if his name was ever mentioned. I couldn't find him and it seemed pretty damn important that he was someone that had the BO had dealings with so I decided to give him an ending here. I also made his lover male simply because that is what my fingers typed out. It was not done with any ill intent; my mind simply decided that is what happened so that is what it is in case any of you were wondering. I also could not find the actual chief of police in the manga or anime, I could only find Inspector Megure and his supervisor, so I made him up as well; I hope you guys liked his character! His profile will be below but I'm going to leave some things out for mysterious purposes.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Name: Avelia (no one knows his first name)**

 **Age: 42**

 **Eye color: Light grey**

 **Hair color (and beard color): Black with grey streaks (he says from stress, Shizuka says from age)**

 **Height: 6'1**

 **Occupation: Chief of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police force**

 **Personality: Appears very intimidating due to his harsh facial features and large build but is a softy at heart. He is very passionate about his job and he cares a lot for his subordinates and other people. Generally fun loving, though it doesn't show around people he does not know or trust. Willing to make the hard choices though it pains him to do so. Finds Shizuka very amusing but wishes she would stop taking risks even though he knows it is necessary.**

 **Hobbies: Loves to bake. He makes cookies for the department and often gives Shizuka a box filled with them because he believes she has no idea how to cook (a correct assumption). He goes for walks with his wife whenever he can and loves to read many genres of books but tends to prefer fantasy novels because they remind him of when he was a kid and the plots interest him.**

 **Again, if you want to know anything else I would be happy to let you guys know more about him. I personally adore him.**


	3. Chapter 3

**The beginning of this chapter took longer than I thought, but once I got past Shizuka showing up for dinner everything came together quicker.**

 **Turquoise ninja 012: Thank you so much for another review! You made me picture it too, and it is a very hilarious image. If I don't pair her up with anyone, or if I just don't pair her up with Kaito I'll probably do a chapter where Kaito flirts with her just to get a rise out of Conan. Thanks for the idea, it made me laugh!**

 **JarayZ: Thank you! All of you compliments made me grin like an idiot, I'm glad you liked it so much! I hope you like this chapter too. :)**

 **MidoriEmerald13: Haha, which part? I had a lot of fun writing the surveillance parts and her interactions with Avelia simply because of how I saw them reacting to the situation. I simply couldn't help myself. Thank you for reviewing again!**

 **908-03: I have to ask, because I am not near as smart as the characters I write, but does your username stand for anything? I saw you wrote all Detective Conan fanfics so I'm very curious. And don't worry, Kazimir isn't a throw away character at all. He was actually the perfect character to use to set up what I'm going to be having Shizuka focus on throughout all of Conan's cases. She'll join in for a lot of them, but she can't be there for all of them. Shizuka does have some of the craziest adventures. I might do a few flashback chapters further down the rode to show just how crazy, haha. As for Avelia, he is very highly ranked. He comes second to the Superintendent and he uses whatever resources he can find to cut down crime rates. Shizuka isn't his only consultant, but she is one of the ones he knows best. She is also one of the youngest. Thank you for the review!**

 **Every time I get a review from you guys I reread it at least ten times, and every time makes me just as happy as the first time so thank you so much for the reviews!**

 **On to the chapter! I hope you enjoy!**

 **-00-**

 **Chapter 3: A Witness and Evidence**

 **-00-**

By the time Shizuka got home she barely had time to change into a clean outfit before she had to head over to the Mouri's home She would have simply gone as she was if it hadn't been for one of the cops running into her and making her land in a fairly deep, disgusting smelling puddle along the side of the advertisement building. She had been rushing around with Avelia at that point so she (foolishly) turned down the offer of a spare uniform, believing she could return home well before dinner. That was before anyone realized she was the best witness they were going to get and had to question her as well as make her file a report because in all technicalities she was a civilian and an officer of the law so she had to go through the requirements for both. After that lengthy process she had to go over each and every one of her photos with both Avelia and the officer in charge of the evidence locker. Needless to say, she was surprised she got home at all let alone in time for dinner.

After throwing on a new pair of jeans and a plain long sleeved green shirt she had haphazardly pulled from her suitcase (still in the main hall), she covered herself in a layer of body spray that had a strong minty smell in hopes that it would cover any residue stench. No one mentioned anything to her throughout the day, the officers seemed oddly hesitant to approach her at all, but she wouldn't put it past Avelia to let her go somewhere smelling like the sewers.

A quick glance in the mirror made her grimace but she was past the point of caring. As long as she didn't look bad _and_ smell bad she would take it as a win for the night. On the plus side all of her jackets were still packed away in her bags so she opted to take one of Shinichi's (the nice one he wore whenever he could) so whatever terrible smell that arose from the odd mixture of whatever the hell she had landed in and the body spray would be his to deal with.

Glancing at the clock she realized she had five minutes until she told Ran she would be there so she threw off her socks and tennis shoes, slipped on a pair of sandals, and rushed out the door.

-00-

"Professor Agasa!" Ran greeted with a smile as she pulled open the door. She patted down the apron she was wearing, releasing a small cloud of flour. "I'm glad you could make it."

Agasa smiled back and rubbed the back of his head. "I can never turn up your cooking Ran-chan, so when Conan told me you were having a feast I just couldn't help myself."

His eye twitched slightly in exasperation when he recalled exactly how 'Conan' had told him. It had been more along the lines of, "There is no way things will go as smoothly as Ran wants and I refuse to face this alone. Dinner is at 8 and the food is free. Be there." The boy certainly had a way with words.

Ran ushered him in, her smile turning confused. "Conan-kun told you? What about Shizuka?"

"Hm?" Agasa placed his shoes off to the side of the entryway. "I haven't seen her all day, though I can't say I'm surprised. It must be chaos down in Junko."

"Junko? I thought she was going to the police department?"

As the two walked into the main room of the detective agency Agasa sent her on odd look. "Ran-chan," he said slowly, "have you not seen the news today?"

"The news? I've been cooking most of the day, why do you-?"

A sudden knocking sound interrupted the two, making them jump.

"That must be her!" Ran turned back towards the door.

As she went to get the door Agasa turned back to the main room and looked around quickly. His eyes landed on the small boy who was reading on the worn down, blue couch.

"Shinichi," Agasa whispered, pointing at the book.

The shrunken teen tilted his head in confusion as he looked at the comic Ran had bought him while she was at the store. His cheeks turned red when he realized it was upside down, making it blatantly obvious he had been eavesdropping.

"Ahem," the not-child cleared his throat. "Thanks for coming Professor, I'm sorry about earlier."

Agasa waved his apologies away. "There is nothing to apologize for, you had a good reason to be upset."

Shinichi sent him a grateful smile. After watching the news he had needed time to think things through so he had rudely told Agasa to show up for dinner before storming out and knocking some things over in his haste.

"Was anything I hit important?"

The much older man shook his head. "No, it was mainly my scrapped projects and some old research proposals."

"Ah."

Agasa wanted to ask about the man that had died, he truly did, but he realized it would be very easy for people to overhear them and even if they were somehow able to play it off as something else Shinichi didn't need that kind of attention. He would just have to wait until they were well and truly alone.

"-in Junko?" Ran's voice wondered as she stepped back into the room, Shizuka following after her.

"I was," she was replying, brow furrowed. "How did you know I was there?"

The two males in the room stared at the normally clean-cut and fashionable woman.

Neither of the Kudo siblings particularly cared about fashion, but after spending most of their lives with the looming presence of their mother they had both gotten into the habits of dressing well and stylishly. Whenever Shinichi wasn't in school (with the uniform he wore very well much to Yukiko's joy) he would wear his favorite leather jacket and whatever designer clothes his mother had stuffed into his closet. Often times he would wear a nice suite with a simple white dress shirt, especially when he new he would be on a case. Shizuka often wore outfits she could easily move around in, chasing people down being a near daily activity, but all of her clothes were form fitting and stylish. Many of the roles she took on for undercover work also required her to dress a certain way, and eventually it just became a subconscious effort. Not because either of them cared about what they looked like to other people (unless on a case) but because their wardrobes had been picked by Yukiko and they had learned a long time ago that trying to replace what she bought them with something they bought was like wrestling a fish from a bear. They eventually gave in and as they got older and the motions became habit.

Which is why Shizuka's appearance was such a surprise to the two who had known her the longest.

Shizuka wore a simple green shirt that was covered in wrinkles and her jeans had one leg slightly rolled up on the left side. She was wearing a jacket that looked far to big for her (that Shinichi thought looked suspiciously familiar) with the arms rolled up so that her hands were visible past the long sleeves. Her hair, which was usually pulled back into a ponytail with her bangs framing her face, was hanging loosely around her head and was tangled in various areas.

"Shizuka-neechan?" Conan called out hesitantly, eyes drawn to the various smudges on her face and… feet? He felt his nose twitch and scrunch up as a peculiar smell wafted past him. It didn't smell bad, rather minty, but it certainly did not smell good.

"Ah, hello Conan-chan, Professor Agasa," Shizuka greeted them with a weary smile.

Ran clapped her hands together excitedly. "Now that everyone is here we can eat!"

Shizuka raised an eyebrow, glancing around the room once more. "Is Mouri-san not joining us? I thought this dinner was for him?"

"Oh, dad is upstairs. I told him to help set out the dishes," Ran explained, beckoning for them to follow her.

Conan hoped off the couch, Agasa right behind him, as they made their way up the stairs to the main living floor. Shizuka looked down at him as he matched his pace with hers.

"You look tired Shizuka-neechan," he pointed out loudly.

Shizuka shot him an annoyed glare. "Yes, well, I've had a long day."

"What do you mean?"

With a heavy sigh Shizuka tapped Conan's head so that he stumbled back into Agasa. "Let's at least wait until we are sitting down to talk, alright?"

"Tch," Conan clicked his tongue.

Shizuka gave him a warning look.

"Thanks dad!" Ran grinned as they walked in to the main living room. There was a medium sized Kotatsu in the middle of the floor with various silverware and dishes laid on it. The television that was normally on the far wall had been pushed into the corner due to the Kotatsu being moved to the very center of the room to make enough space for all of the guests.

Kogoro was already seated, the silverware and dishes set out in front of them. He was tapping his finger impatiently, stomach growling.

Shizuka whistled lowly. "You certainly outdid yourself Ran-chan, how long did all of this take?"

Ran blushed and laughed shyly. "Oh, not to long."

"She worked all day on this," Kogoro spoke up from where he was waiting for them. He was slouched over slightly and glaring at them. "You all better be grateful!"

Agasa shared a look with Shizuka and they both turned to bow to the brunette.

"Thank you very much," they chimed together, Shizuka grabbing Conan's head and making him bow with them.

"Hey!" he struggled against her. "I already said thank you!"

"Really?" Shizuka asked skeptically.

Ran rushed to assure her. "He did! When he asked what I was doing earlier he thanked me for making the feast and letting him stay here. And none of you need to thank me, I did this because I wanted to."

"Oh~?" Shizuka smirked at Conan, making the boy blush.

"Shu- I mean, l-let's just eat, okay? The food is probably getting cold," Conan glared at her, much to Kogoro's amusement.

"The kid's right," Kogoro rubbed his hands together with a bright grin, "we should dig in before Ran's efforts go to waste!"

Ran rolled her eyes but moved to take a seat nonetheless. The others moved to join her, Ran and Conan sitting on one side, Agasa sitting across from them, and Shizuka across from Kogoro.

"Aren't you that brat's sister?" Kogoro squinted at her with vague recognition.

"Dad!" Ran scolded. "Shinichi is not a brat! And how can you not remember Shizuka?"

Shizuka only smiled and shifted her legs to sit more comfortably. "Don't worry about it Ran, I haven't been around for a long time and I probably don't look to much like myself at the moment. Besides, Shinichi can certainly be a brat when he tries hard enough."

Conan glared at her but laughed brightly when Ran glanced down at him.

"Oh yeah," Kogoro rubbed at the stubble on his chin, "I remember you. Eri always mentioned how you would babysit Ran and the brat."

"Yes," Shizuka nodded, snapping her chopsticks apart. "We've actually only met a few times. You were often busy with work or I was away from home."

Kogoro looked her up and down, his eyebrow raising. "Well, you've certainly changed. You look horrible, and what is with that awful smell?"

"Dad!" Ran hissed, smacking her hand on the table next to her plate, making Conan jump.

"Damn," Shizuka muttered, sniffing at her clothes. "I apologize Mouri-san, I didn't have time to clean up before I came here."

"Doesn't matter to me," Kogoro leaned away from his daughter nervously.

Ran glared at him before settling back down. "Let's just serve the food first, then we can start the celebration, okay?" She looked around for any complaints but the table was silent. "Great!"

Everyone piled food onto their plates and gave Ran appreciative looks once they realized exactly how much food she had prepared for everyone.

"Congratulations on a successful case Mouri-san," Agasa raised his glass of sake in a toast.

"I heard it was quite the adventure," Shizuka added, raising her glass (just water, she had insisted) as well.

"Ahahaha, it was nothing for the great Mouri Kogoro," he boasted loudly and raised his glass in return.

"And welcome to our home Conan-kun," Ran smiled warmly, lightly tapping his smaller cup with hers.

"Thanks Ran-neesan!" Conan smiled widely, studiously ignoring the amused looks of his sister.

"Thank you for the food," they chorused together before Kogoro took the first bite.

"Delicious!" he cheered, digging in for more. The others followed his lead, making appreciative noises in the backs of their throats. Ran smiled proudly as they ate.

It was only a few minutes into the meal that the silence was broken.

"Oh yeah!" Conan suddenly piped up, a grain of rice stuck on his cheek. "I saw you on the news today Shizuka-neesan!"

"What?" she frowned at him, absentmindedly reaching out to brush the rice away. He was smiling widely but his eyes were sharp, like he had found a case.

"Ah, that's right," Agasa nodded, joining in. "Conan-kun was over at my house earlier and we were watching the news together."

"Is that how you new I was in Junko?" Shizuka turned to Ran who shook her head.

"Oh, no, it was Professor Agasa who told me you were there. I haven't seen the news at all today so I wouldn't know. Do you know dad?"

"Hmm?" he looked up from where he was tearing into a large piece of chicken. Swallowing quickly he looked thoughtful. "I was watching the TV earlier this morning but after that I just looked over some possible cases. Did something happen?"

Everyone turned their attention to Shizuka, making her sigh.

"It is why I came dressed and… smelling, like this, Mouri-san. There was a shooting down in the Junko district," she ran a hand through her hair, tugging at the knots to try to loosen them.

"What?!" Kogoro and Ran shouted.

"It was on the news," Conan added in, moving his rice around with his fork. "Two men were shot by a sniper and the police were everywhere! The police were running around all over the place!" he waved his hands exaggeratedly.

Agasa nodded, chewing absentmindedly on a dumpling. "They were showing a live feed of the area and we saw Shizuka with the police."

Ran looked at her friend in worry. "I can't believe I didn't know! Are you okay Shizuka? What were you doing all the way down there?"

Shizuka gave her brother a subtle glare. She had realized Ran didn't know what happened the moment the other girl opened the door. If she had known she would have started firing off questions left and right, demanding to know if she was hurt. Shizuka decided not to bring anything up in order to spare Ran the worry and herself the stress.

 _"Stupid brat,"_ she thought angrily. "I'm fine Ran, I wasn't in any danger. There were only two casualties and those were the two men we believe to be the targets of the shooting. I didn't tell you I was going down there because I wasn't aware myself. When I went down to the station to talk to the Chief this morning he had a case on hold that I could help with so I decided to take it off his hands before I talked to him about the changes I was making."

Ran nodded understandingly while the others looked confused.

"I'm focusing my work in Beika from now on," Shizuka explained, ignoring how Conan suddenly grew very still. "I figured doing a case for him would make it easier for him to accept, so I went down to Junko. I was supposed to be running surveillance on one of the men that was shot, which is exactly what I was doing when it happened."

"Oh no," Ran breathed, her worry growing.

Kogoro leaned forward in interest. "Did you manage to see the shooter?"

Shizuka sighed, regretting turning down the alcohol. "No. They were fast and I am not sure which way they left the building. I never would have caught them in time so I stayed at my post and took pictures of the people around the building. I wasn't aware of being on the news. I stayed with the Chief for the rest of the day and I… fell early on in the investigation. I wasn't hurt but the puddle I landed in certainly didn't smell like roses."

"We're just glad you're okay," Ran placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Conan peered up at her, eyes dark. Shizuka returned his look with a slight frown.

 _"What?"_ she quirked and eyebrow.

 _"Later."_ He shook his head and went back to eating.

"I'm sure we will catch the shooter," Shizuka leaned back, resting her weight on her hands. "For now, we should focus on Mouri-san and Conan-chan. I heard you found the kidnapper by using the family pet?"

Kogoro broke into a round of raucous laughter, reliving the tale of the night before. Shizuka nodded along with interest, flicking a grain of rice at Conan when she heard about him getting injured. The boy huffed, but paid her no mind as Ran continued to ask him how his day was.

It was late by the time everyone was full. They were sitting in a companionable silence, reveling over their full stomachs.

"That was wonderful Ran-chan," Agasa grinned, patting his stomach. "I haven't eaten that well in a long time!"

Ran blushed at the praise. "I'm glad you liked it Professor! We have plenty of leftovers if you want to take any."

Agasa perked up, nodding quickly. "That would be much appreciated!"

Ran brushed off her clothes and stood up. "I'll wrap some up for you, and I'll get some for you too Shizuka."

Shizuka had shuffled backwards to lean against the wall tiredly, but she straightened up when Ran said her name. "You don't have to Ran-chan."

"I won't take no for an answer. You and Shinichi are terrible cooks, at least this way I know you will have something to eat for the next few days."

Shizuka hesitated before relaxing with a small smile. "Alright, thank you."

Ran hummed approvingly, moving towards the kitchen. As she left Shizuka turned her eyes to Conan and Kogoro.

Conan was lying on his back, his expression dazed. He had obviously eaten too much, but he didn't seem to regret it. Kogoro was in no better state, though he was slightly tipsy on top of everything else. Shizuka smirked when the older man hiccupped.

Once Ran returned Shizuka decided it was time for her to go home. "I still have a lot to do before I can really start up my work again," she told Ran as she accepted the parcel of food. "It might take a few weeks until I can take anything big but there's plenty of small things to do as well so there is no need to worry."

"Alright," Ran said unsurely. Her face suddenly brightened. "I can keep making you dinner!"

Shizuka blinked at her tiredly, the words taking a few seconds to process. "Uh… no, that's alright. You're already taking care of Conan and your dad, I can't possibly ask you to-"

"You're not asking me anything," Ran cut her off, hands on her hips. "I am offering because I want to. I did the same thing for Shinichi and I will do the same thing for you!"

Shizuka did not have near enough energy to fight back against her so she simply shrugged in defeat. "I guess I don't have much of a choice in the matter then. Thank you Ran-chan."

Ran gave her a quick hug before turning her attention to her father.

"Dad," she sighed. Leaning down next to the inebriated man she helped him to his feet. "I'll see you later Shizuka, Professor! I'll come back and help you as soon as I get dad settled, alright Conan-kun?"

"Alright Ran-neechan," Conan agreed easily enough, coming to stand next to Shizuka.

The moment Ran was out of earshot he gestured for Shizuka to bend down. Agasa moved next to them as she complied.

"Hotoharu Kazimir," Shinichi whispered hurriedly, "what do you know about him?"

"Kazimir?" Shizuka frowned. Shinichi wasn't often interested in the criminals she caught unless they proved more of an intellectual challenge than the average case. "Why do you want t know?"

"He was there, the night I was poisoned."

Shizuka's eyes narrowed dangerously, her exhaustion clearing as she forced her brain to focus. "How sure are you?"

"One hundred percent. They were blackmailing him for-"

"For smuggling guns with his company," She finished for him, her expression grim. She leaned in even further, keeping her voice low. If Kazimir was who her brother believed him to be they needed to have all of the facts straight. "When the shots went off I leaned out of the window to try to get a good view of the shooter. I never saw a face, but I saw the edges of a black trench coat in the building next to me. I am at least eighty percent sure it was the shooter."

"The men in black," Agasa muttered, kneeling down next to them. "What should we do?"

"What can we do?" Shinichi crossed his arms, his anger clearly visible. "Kazimir would have destroyed the evidence he paid for immediately and I doubt anyone new he was at Tropical Land that night. Is there anyone he could have talked to? Family? Loved ones?"

Shizuka cursed, making the two males look at her. "His family has been dead for years and the only other loved one he had was shot with him."

"Shit," Shinichi pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why? Why would they kill him? He would have never told anyone about them, not when it would mean revealing what he's done. What possible reason would they have had to kill him?!"

The three of them kept their heads down, minds working fiercely.

"Wait," Shizuka's head shot up. "He was at Tropical Land."

Shinichi's eyes widened. "That's right…"

"What?" Agasa tilted his head. "Why does that change anything?"

"They were meeting for an exchange," Shizuka explained quickly, eyes darting to the doorway in case Ran came in. "The men in black would bring the evidence of the smuggling and Kazimir would bring whatever they wanted from him."

"Money," Shinichi cut in. "He would pay them and his company would be safe. The men in black would get the money and they would know Kazimir would never tell anyone what happened because it would put him in jeopardy. He had nothing on them that wouldn't take him down as well."

"But something went wrong," Shizuka clenched her fist. "The murder on the roller coaster. The police were everywhere and both parties were nervous. They wanted to get it over with quickly and get out of there. They acted suspiciously."

"And I followed them," Shinichi ran a hand threw his hair. "I was caught right at the tail end of their deal. Kazimir saw me, but he ran away as they were poisoning me."

"He knew they were going to kill you," Shizuka continued on. "And they no longer had the blackmail on his company. Kazimir couldn't tell anyone about the exchange but there was nothing holding him back from reporting the murder. They new that!"

"So they killed him," Agasa realized, his face pale in horror.

"And the one person he might have confided in," Shinichi growled.

Shizuka was silent for a long time before a razor sharp smirk appeared on her face. "This is perfect."

"What?!"

Shizuka pulled back as the two males practically shouted in her face. "Calm down and think it through," she urged them. "Yes, they killed two of our only living connections to them, but in doing so they just gave us even more information and they don't even realize it!"

"What are you getting at?" Shinichi scowled.

"They killed Kazimir because he saw them kill you, but you didn't die Shinichi!" Shizuka's eyes were bright. "Killing Kazimir and his lover was a smart move on their part because no one new about his involvement with them so no one could possibly connect anything to them. No one, but you."

Shinichi's face went slack with realization and she grinned in triumph.

"This is the best chance we could have asked for! If they hadn't killed Kazimir we may have never found him, but because they did we now have a solid tie to them! They made a big mistake and they don't even realize it, which means they won't be expecting anyone to look into it."

Agasa watched as matching manic grins stretched on the sibling's faces.

"We have a witness," Shizuka started, looking down at her small brother.

"We have evidence," Shinichi agreed, thinking of the shooting.

"All we need to do is fit the pieces together," they laughed, expressions triumphant.

 **I hope the ending made sense; I got really excited while I was writing it so I just kind of went with the flow. I'm having a bit of trouble grasping everyone's character at this point in time simply because nearly everyone changes so much throughout the manga. Conan/Shinichi, Ran, and Kogoro especially. I have a much better idea of them as they are now in the series than they were back at the beginning so if anyone sees in any flaws in how I am portraying them I would be very interested to hear what you have to say!**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow, I didn't think I would finish this chapter so fast after the slow pace I had with the last one but here it is!**

 **So these first few chapters have been transitional ones to get used to Shizuka and build up her relationships with the other characters. This chapter especially focuses on her and Shinichi and covers more of what I think might have been going through his head after he shrunk. He went through some pretty traumatic experiences so I hope this chapter shows more of that. This is the last transitional chapter; the next one starts diving into the cases!**

 **MidoriEmerald13: That part was fun to write, and it won't be until much later that Shinichi realizes what happened to his jacket, haha. I'm glad you liked it and thank you for such a speedy review! I didn't actually think I would get any before I posted this next chapter, so thank you!**

 **JarayZ: I'm often told my thoughts can get confusing if I'm excited about something, so I'm glad it made sense :). Thank you for reviewing again! It means a lot!**

 **turquoise ninja 012: I hope this one lives up to the others and you like it just as much. Thanks so much for reviewing!**

 **Please enjoy!**

 **-00-**

 **Chapter 4: Guillotines and Blue Shorts**

 **-00-**

"You what?" Avelia looked up from the files on his desk to stare at her.

"I want on the case," Shizuka restated, legs crossed at the ankles and hands resting on the armrests of the small chair she sat in.

On blueprints, Avelia's office appeared spacious. In fact, it was one of the largest rooms in the building, not including the lobby. It had a single window just opposite the door and appeared to be wide and open. It looked very different in reality.

The walls were lined with file cabinets, taking a good few feet off the edges of the room. His desk, a large wooden one that somehow still smelled of pine after all his year as Chief, was pushed against the far left wall with a well cushioned chair that could be stretched all the way back into a makeshift bed (he refused to tell anyone where he got it). There were various smaller chairs scattered throughout the room; three lined up along the wall opposite the desk, one on either side of the door, and one directly in front of his desk (it was the most uncomfortable one out of all of them. He liked to make people hesitant to confront him because whenever he knew he wouldn't like the conversation he insisted they sit in that chair and he would stare at them. Intently.). Stacks of papers and books littered both his desk and the floor around it.

On blueprints it was one of the biggest rooms in the station, but if you where to walk through the door it would feel like the smallest.

Shizuka, dressed in camo capris and a fitting grey hoodie with matching grey tennis shoes, was sitting in the chair in front of the desk. She hated that chair.

Avelia was looking at her over the rim of his reading glasses, both bushy eyebrows raised. "What case are we talking about exactly?"

Shizuka returned his gaze with her own unimpressed one. "You know which one. I want on the sniper's case."

Avelia sighed, leaning back into his chair and removing his glasses. He was wearing a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up; both his jacket and tie lay over the back of his chair. He was an extremely muscled man, especially for a 42 year old. Most people were taller than her, and she was perfectly fine with that, but whenever she stood next to Avelia she felt like an ant.

"We still have a lot of men on that case," he pointed out, dragging a hand through his black and grey streaked hair. "It happened _yesterday_ , Kudo."

"I was there," she replied dryly.

"This isn't like you," he accused, light grey eyes narrowed. "You hate working with others. You only ever take the cases I can't put anyone else on; a lot of my officers are on this case right now. They will be for quite awhile."

"This isn't like me?" she leaned forward, eyes glinting. "My job is to track down criminals who get away. This sniper got away and I was in the damn building next door. I want on the case."

Avelia was silent, knotting his fingers together as he stared her down. "Why don't you go off on your own then?"

Shizuka blinked. "What?"

"Like I said," he nodded at her, "you hate working with others unless you know firsthand that they can keep up with you. All of my top officers are working on other cases right now, as are the other consultants. You know this, so why do you want to work _with_ us? I usually have to drag you in kicking and screaming before you grudgingly decide to accept the needed help. What do we have that you can't get?"

Shizuka scowled at him.

"Pout all you want kid. You want on, give me answers."

When it was clear that she wasn't going to answer any time soon he simply put his reading glasses back on and went right back to work.

Shizuka tapped her foot, turning to look out the only window. She couldn't tell him about the men in black. Not yet, at least. She trusted Avelia with her life when dealing with cases, but she trusted no one with her brother's. Trust came in a lot of different forms and someone would need all fronts before she even thought about endangering Shinichi. So bringing up the men in black was a no go unless absolutely necessary. What could she offer up to him that would convince him?

"I've been spending more time outside of my country than in it over the last year," she started slowly. Avelia looked up in interest. "For nearly two years now I have caught every single criminal I've gone after. Even before that, every time I've had my viewfinder on someone I've been able to do something. Save someone, stop someone, catch someone, I've always been able to do something! When someone is in my view, no one gets hurt."

She lapsed back into silence for a moment.

"The only time-," she cut herself off, refusing to look at him. "The only time I have failed on all accounts was just after we met."

"Shizuka," Avelia sighed, rubbing at his temples. "That wasn't-"

"I know," she interrupted sharply. "I know. But that doesn't mean it doesn't bother me. Yesterday I had two men in my sights. They _both_ died and I don't even have a face to blame. I've spent months believing I was improving. Believing that I was getting good enough to stop that from ever happening again. Then I come home and-"

Her parents were still in America, not even aware of what was happening. Her brother had nearly been killed and now has to live as a grade-schooler with the girl he loves, watching her worry over him and being unable to tell her the truth. Her friend's father had been showing signs of both alcoholism and _depression_ , and Ran herself couldn't seem to fight off that feeling that something was wrong and _why wouldn't Shinichi call her?_ Agasa was endangering himself by simply being there for both her and Shinichi and she had found the one man that witnessed what happened to her brother. The one living connection they could actually _use_ and he was shot through the head before she even realized how important he was.

"I am no better than I was three years ago," she said instead. "People still got hurt, and I am well aware that there was _nothing I could have done_."

"Shizuka," Avelia leaned forward, his expression carefully blank. " _Why_ do you want to work with us on this?"

She clasped her hands together, eyes unwavering. "Because I failed to protect people on my own. Maybe working with someone will help better the odds next time."

Because there would be a next time, she realized. There would always be a next time. But the situations never had to end the same way. She would get the help she needed, even if they weren't aware of what exactly they were helping with, and next time she would be ready.

"Chief. Please put me on this case."

-00-

Conan was reading in the room he shared with Kogoro when the door flew open and his sister waltzed in.

"Get your shoes on," she ordered, glancing around the messy room. It looked like a bomb had gone off.

"What?" He frowned, looking past her and expecting Ran to appear as well. When the brown-eyed girl failed to make an appearance he turned suspicious. "How did you get in here?"

Shizuka rolled her eyes and snatched the book from his hands. "Ran let me in, now go get your shoes on. I'm taking you shopping."

"What? I don't need-!" he paused, looking down at the clothes he had worn for the past two days. "I suppose I could use a few more shirts."

"And pants, shoes, socks, a toothbrush, comb, shampoo and conditioner, and various other things," Shizuka listed off, motioning for him to go first. "I told Ran-chan your parents sent some money to buy everything and once I offered to take you out so she could rest and take care of whatever she needed to she gave me a list of things."

"So she's not coming," he sighed in relief.

"Tired of the married life already?"

Shinichi spluttered, blushing violently. "We are not married!"

"Relax little brother, I'm sure you'll get used to it soon enough."

He huffed. "Since you are starting to work in Beika now why can't I just stay at home and say you're taking care of me?"

Shizuka rolled her eyes. "Because I am not home often enough to look after anyone and most of my cases are to dangerous for a child?"

"I'm not a child."

"No one knows that."

When he didn't answer with another sarcastic retort Shizuka turned her head to look at him. The angry yet utterly depressed expression on his face made her sigh.

"Oh, are you heading out now?" Ran called, peeking her head out of the detective agency's door. Shizuka could vaguely hear the TV on in the background.

"Yeah, I'll have him back before it gets to late. I was thinking of showing him around town too, so he knows his way around," she replied easily, resting a hand on Conan's head.

"That sounds like a great idea," Ran smiled. "It's a nice day out, maybe dad and I will join you later."

There was an odd grumbling noise that was quickly silenced when Ran 'subtly' kicked the doorframe.

"If you guys are feeling up to it," Shizuka agreed quickly enough. "But please, feel free to just relax today and spend some time together. Conan is going to be a constant companion now so get all the quality time you can out of today."

Ran looked thoughtful. "I hadn't thought about it like that. Do you think we should do something?"

"Whatever you feel like, just spend time together, yeah?"

She didn't want to mention how Kogoro always seemed so much happier whenever Ran was with him. He seemed different since the last time she saw him and it worried her. Maybe the others didn't notice because the change had been so gradual that it was as though nothing was really different, but Shizuka hadn't seen them for a long time, so the change was far more blatant to her. Kogoro was thinner, and he drank far more than she remembered.

"We haven't done that in awhile," Ran's voice grew wistful. "I'll think about it."

"Please do. Lets go Conan-chan."

The two siblings waved their goodbyes as they left. The walk to the shopping center was silent, but neither of them felt the need to speak up. They were both tied in their thoughts.

"Where do you want to go first?" Shizuka asked as the doors parted for them.

Shinichi held his hand out for the list. When she gave it to him he scanned over it quickly, eyes twitching.

"Do we really need all of this?"

"Ran thinks so, and if I was dealing with a real child I would think so too."

"Fine, lets start with the clothes then. Get the worst part over and done with," he mumbled the last bit.

They both shuddered at the terrible memories of clothes shopping with their mother.

As it turned out, getting the clothes was actually the easiest part of their trip. Shinichi could fit into almost anything so the only thing they really needed to focus on was what type of clothes he wanted. This was immediately solved when he made a beeline for a certain section and just started pulling clothes off the racks.

"Seriously?" Shizuka questioned, watching him pile the outfits into the cart. Outfits that were _exactly the same_ in every way shape and form.

"What?"  
"Oh I don't know, maybe you should look for a little more variety? I mean honestly Shinichi," she pulled up one of the outfits. A white, button up shirt with a blue suit jacket to go over it as well as a pair of lighter blue shorts. "These look exactly like your school uniform."

"So?" he crossed his arms defensively. "It's what I always wear."

"No, it's what you _often_ wear," she corrected. "I know you have other clothes, I do have eyes. Why don't you get a jacket like the one you wear on your off days?"

"No," he turned away from her and continued to pull out more of the same shorts.

"Shinichi-"

"No!"

Shizuka stared at him in shock. He stood with his back to her, fists clenched so tightly they shook. Noticing the stares they were getting she quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him over to a more secluded area, not bothering to grab the cart.

"Hey," she called softly, bending down so she was at eye level with him. "What's going on?"

He refused to look at her. "It's nothing, forget about it."

"Hey," she repeated, stronger this time. He glanced at her. "I'm not going to make fun of you, if that's what you're thinking about. You have enough on your plate already Shinichi. Don't keep things bottled in if you don't have to, I'm here for you."

He peered at her from the corner of his eye for a moment before sighing. "It really isn't that big of a deal it's just-"

"Yes?" she urged when he stopped, sitting down next to him and crossing her legs. The racks of clothes towered above them, shielding them from view.

"I wear this whenever I'm on a case. When I know I need to be focused and I don't- I don't want to feel like I'm just accepting that I'm like this. It's small and it doesn't even really mean anything but… I don't want to feel normal when I'm like this. I don't want to relax, so if I wear this it's like I'm always on a case and I won't-" he huffed again, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I won't forget."

 _"Oh,"_ Shizuka thought, taking in his tense expression and hunched shoulders. _"Well shit, how do I respond to that?"_

"Shinichi," she started with his name. That was as good as place as any. "That is perfectly fine."

He finally turned to face her, brow furrowed.

"You were poisoned," she held her hand up to stop him from interrupting her. "You almost died, and instead you were shrunken down to a child. You can't tell the girl you love or anyone else you care about because that will put them in danger and you are now living with the threat of an unknown pair of people, maybe even a group, looming over you like a guillotine."

"…You really know how to cheer people up," he gave her a dull look, shoulders hunching over even further.

"I'm not done," she flicked his head for interrupting her. "What I am saying is that all of this happened within the span of two and a half days. This goes beyond a traumatic experience, and genius detective or not it is going to affect you. It is completely okay for you to look for anything that will make you feel better about the situation. If wearing that specific outfit makes you feel more in control of your thoughts then by all means wear the same outfit every day from now on. That is okay, and I would encourage it."

She was relieved to notice his shoulders relax a bit. Not much but it was certainly progress.

"…What about 'variety'?" he mumbled, once again looking away from her.

"I didn't know why you were upset," she explained. "We may be good at reading people, but neither of us are mind readers. Now that I know what is going on I can help you and I am happy to do so. All you had to do was talk to me."

He frowned, hesitating before sitting down as well. "That isn't going to solve all of my problems. I can't talk to Ran and I certainly can't talk to those- those killers."

"No," she agreed. "But you can talk to me. You can talk to Agasa too. You've lost a lot of people you could confide in Shinichi but you haven't lost all of them. It's your choice to talk to us, but if you do we will always do whatever we can to help. Whether it is simply listening or buying you a dozen copies of the same outfit then so be it."

He didn't reply and they sat there, hidden from the world by a row of clothing.

They didn't move for a long time, but when they did Shinichi's shoulders were relaxed, hands at his sides, and Shizuka felt so relieved she almost started shaking.

" _Of course he was affected,"_ she lectured herself, leaning lazily against the cart as Shinichi went back to stuffing it full of blue jackets and matching shirts. _"I wasn't even thinking about what must be going through his head. Thank god he snapped or I might never haven noticed. He shouldn't have to say everything, I should notice."_

"That should be enough," Shinichi nodded to himself, tallying the number of outfits on his fingers.

"Yeah, you've got a pretty good pile going on here." She shook the thoughts away, deciding to think about them in depth later. Shinichi wasn't the only one who would have to step up their game.

As she looked at the fairly sizable pile of blue and white something grey caught her attention.

"Shinichi," she tilted her head before reaching for it. "What is this?"

It was a plain grey hoodie that would be a little bigger than him if he wore it. She would have assumed he had put it there by accident if she hadn't spotted the same exact hoodies on a rack back where they had talked. It was pretty far away from them for it to be an accident.

Shinichi leveled her with an 'are you an idiot' look but she wasn't fooled. "What does it look like?"

"Huh," she shrugged, hiding a smile. Putting it back in the cart she pointed over to where the shoes would be. "Shall we find something to match these?"

-00-

"What is all this crap?" Kogoro nudged one of the many bags with his foot. His words were far more subdued than usual, making Shizuka smile in triumph. She had noticed more mud on his and Ran's shoes at the entrance than there had been when they left; meaning the two had most likely gone for a walk.

"My clothes!" Conan chirped excitedly, rushing around the different rooms to put all of his new things away.

"Why the heck are they all blue?" the older man muttered, picking at the outfits.

"It's my favorite color!"

"Aw," Ran chuckled, "how cute!"

Shizuka snickered at the red tint to Conan's cheeks.

"Thank you so much for taking him out today Shizuka," Ran reached down to help Conan, laughing once again when the boy insisted he do it on his own.

"It was no trouble Ran-chan, I had a lot of fun too. We were even able to stop by that new bookstore on the way back. We both got some interesting new books."

"That's great!" Ran nodded towards her dad. "We actually went out to eat lunch at the café by the park. It was such a nice day."

"That's great," Shizuka smiled sincerely. She looked at the clock on the wall, noting how late it was getting. "Well, I should get going. I've got to get up early tomorrow."

"Are you going to the police department again?" Conan popped up next to her, a curios grin on his face.

"That's right," Shizuka smirked, slipping her shoes back on. "I've made a deal after all."

"Huh?" Ran and Conan looked at her in confusion, Kogoro glancing up at their confused outbursts.

"Don't worry about it," she waved their concerns away, hopping down the steps. "I'll let you know if everything pans out."

"Okay," Ran nodded, still confused but accepting enough. Shizuka waved to them all and headed back home.

 _"Today was a good day."_

 **All right, so all of the transition work is done! Next chapter officially starts off the first case of Detective Conan after the kidnapping incident. I hope you guys like this one!**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Well, this chapter took quite awhile. To make up for it, it's really long. This chapter has the Bloody Idol case with Okino Yoko (Yoko-saaaannn~!) but I also added a lot of other stuff. Shizuka does a few other cases that I debated on cutting out and just summarizing, but what's the fun in that? Instead I just made a little montage of them, so I hope you guys like them. Also, I went off the manga version of this case, so Conan hasn't met the Shounen Tantei yet.**

 **turquoise ninja 012: Thank you! I noticed that too, which is exactly why I added it. I'm trying to give a more in depth look at each character's mindset and growth throughout the series so I hope I'm giving believable reasoning. When you said Kudos for me I instantly picture a bunch of tiny Shinichi's and Shizuka's just raining down from the sky with monotone expressions XD. Thanks so much for another kind review!**

 **JarayZ: Tada! Here it is! :) Thanks for reviewing again, and I'm glad it seemed realistic. And you poor, poor soul. I flip my life upside down half the time, so if you're worse than me things must become mass chaos! :P School always gets in the way of my reading time too, but it's important… most of the time, haha.**

 **908-03: D'aww, you make me blush, haha. I just never understood why everyone's outfit changed fairly often yet he always wore the exact same clothes. I get that it was probably just an image thing, but meh. I like making things overly complicated. It makes sense why I couldn't figure out your username now, haha. I know absolutely nothing about cars, racing or otherwise. :) Thanks for reviewing!**

 **MidoriEmerald13: His depression is basically just my take on things. I know a lot of people who suffer from clinical depression and I've seen the mental and emotional improvements they can go through. When I look at Kogoro over the span of the series that is what his character development reminds me of. He seemed a lot angrier, more violent, and overly self confident in the beginning and while he still has those traits later on (they're just part of who he is) they have died down a bit and seem a lot more realistic and genuine to me. I don't know, I just figured he was probably having a tough time after leaving his job, Eri leaving him, and having to raise Ran (who is going down the same path of childhood love he went down) so I decided to give him some more blatant shows of darker emotions. Sorry for rambling, Kogoro is one of my favorite characters and I adore him. Thanks for asking and reviewing! I hope I cleared it up a bit!**

 **On to the chapter! Please enjoy!**

 **(PS. I was looking up facts about all of the characters that appear during this case and I found some interesting things about Yoko. Did you know she is suspected to be the leader of the Black Organization? Cause holy crap, I never even thought about it but how badass would that be?! Absolutely terrible, of course, but totally badass!)**

 **-00-**

 **Chapter 5: Nice and Sociable**

Shizuka fiddled with the straps of the camera hanging from her neck, hating how nervous she felt. She was standing outside of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department at seven in the morning, dressed in simple black capris and a long sleeved purple shirt with a small backpack flung over her shoulders. She was tapping her foot, her worn grey sneakers making a sharp echoing sound, as she seriously debated on just turning around and going back home.

Unfortunately, she had a deal to keep. If she wanted access to Kazimir's case, she would have to play by Avelia's rules. She would need to… team up with officers of his choice.

She shuddered.

She had always been at odds with him in regards to working with the rest of the force. At first she hadn't minded working together with various officers and inspectors, it had been exciting even, but she had long since realized she was more designed for solo work. She hated having to depend on someone else to get the job done, and more often than not things went downhill when she worked with someone else. She was never able to really relax around other people anyway and always felt the need to keep up appearances making it so that she was never able to focus purely on her work when someone else was with her. There were some notable exceptions, but the ones she could trust were usually higher-ranking officers or detectives who were needed on their own cases. People who didn't have enough time in the day to help out the sporadic consultant in whatever adventure she had fallen into that day.

Avelia was constantly telling her that if she just got to know the other members of the force she would learn how to work with them, but she just never had the time or motivation and she much preferred working at her own pace with no one to worry about.

There was nothing Avelia could do to stop her in that regard. She was a private detective and there were plenty of cases he needed solved. Even if he didn't, she had built her reputation up well enough that other departments would have been happy to take her on. Which is exactly why he took advantage of the fact that she wanted on Kazimir's case and she _wasn't needed_.

 _"You said you were willing to start off at the bottom of the barrel again,"_ Avelia had smirked triumphantly. _"You're obviously determined to stay in the city, but if you want my cases, you'll have to work with my men."_

So she made the deal.

For however long she wanted on the Kazimir case she would have to consult on a multitude of cases involving other members of the force. He would assign her a mentor who she would get the cases from and whom she would help whenever she was needed. So long as she kept building relations to other people in the ground and investigation forces she would be allowed on whatever case she pleased ( _"Within reason of course_ ," Avelia had added after seeing the glint in her eye.).

So here she was, standing outside one of the busiest buildings in the city, eyes glued to the groups of uniforms moving in and out of the building.

She would have to interact with these people if she wanted to get the job done. Interacting with people outside of cases was never something she enjoyed. Shizuka loved playing the part to catch the bad guy, and watching people react to her actions was always fascinating to her, but whenever she met people _as herself_ she knew she rarely ever made a good impression. She was either too young, too cold, too sarcastic, too rude, to blunt, to weird, too anything that made her who she was when she wasn't wearing a mask.

 _"Just think of it as another case,"_ she told herself as she made her way through the front doors, running a hand over her hair to make sure her ponytail was secure. _"You are going undercover as a nice, sociable consultant. No one but Avelia really knows you here, and anyone who does has proven trustworthy so far. Just make the mask, make the 'friends', and get the information."_

She had just turned left, moving away from the lobby, when she caught sight of the towering bear of a Chief heading straight towards her.

"Morning Kudo," Avelia patted her head as he passed, never looking up from the file in his hand.

"Avelia," Shizuka greeted irritably. She patted down the hairs his gesture had loosened, jogging to keep up with him.

"Ready to meet your mentor?" Avelia glanced at her as they made their way through the building. He was wearing his dark black jacket this time, though the tie was still missing.

"You still haven't told me who it is," she pointed out, perfectly content to walk behind him as he cut a path through the busy offices. Various officers glanced at the pair as they passed, their giant of a Chief and the short, sharp-eyed girl trailing after him gathering more attention than she believed was necessary. She glanced down at herself, offhandedly wondering if she was dressed appropriately. Avelia hadn't told her what the day would consist of so she simply dressed as she usually did.

"One of our top inspectors for the homicide division," Avelia finally closed the file. He lifted his head to glance around the room, his eyes zeroing in on a figure in the distance. "When I brought up my decision yesterday he actually volunteered to be the one to look after you. Apparently he knows your brother."

"Oh?" Shizuka tried to peek around him to catch a glimpse of whomever they were heading towards. "Is it Maki-san?"

"No."

She waited for him to elaborate and scowled when it was clear that no other information was forthcoming.

Avelia suddenly slowed down and reached back to pull her in front of him. She stumbled slightly, quickly regaining her balance as he began pushing her towards the far end of the room.

"Inspector Megure!" Avelia called out, making a hefty man dressed in a white dress shirt and dark dress pants turn towards them. He had a light brown fedora on that shadowed his face slightly, but Shizuka was still able to clearly see his bushy black eyebrows and wide eyes. The man's mustache quivered when he turned to them, reminding her fondly of Agasa.

 _"Nice and sociable,"_ she repeated to herself as they stopped in front of him.

"Good morning Avelia," Megure greeted with a smile. He looked down at Shizuka in curiosity. "Who is this?"

Avelia patted the girl's shoulder, forcing her to bend her knees slightly under the weight. "This is Kudo Shizuka, the consultant I was telling you about."

"Ah, Kudo-san!" Megure's eyes lit up. He reached out to shake her hand vigorously. "I have heard a lot about you from Kudo-kun."

"All good things I hope," Shizuka smiled back, eyebrow twitching when the inspector simply laughed nervously at her statement. _"What exactly have you been saying about me you little brat?"_

"I'll leave you two to get acquainted, you'll be spending a lot of time together," Avelia patted her on the shoulder one more time and nodded at Megure before disappearing back the way they had come.

"…Are his hands made of steel?" Shizuka grumbled, rubbing at her aching shoulder. When Megure snorted she looked back at him with a sheepish smile. "So, you will be my mentor then?"

"It would be an honor Kudo-san," Megure nodded. "I've known your brother for some time now and I've known your father for even longer. If what the rumors I've heard about you are even partially true then I have a feeling that we are going to get along just fine."

Shizuka could feel her lips twitch into a genuine smile. She had thought the man's name sounded familiar. Both Yusaku and Shinichi would often mention the inspector they helped with difficult cases. They depicted him as a very good man, if a little quick to jump the gun, and so far she was inclined to believe them.

"The honor is mine inspector, and please, call me Shizuka." When Megure agreed to her request she tilted her head slightly. "…There are rumors about me?"

Megure sweated nervously and reached up to run his hand along the brim of his hat. "Ah, well, there are a few," he admitted.

"Not all good, I take it?"

"I wouldn't worry about it Shizuka-san. Every one loves to gossip around here, and the only thing anyone really knows about you is that you are very dedicated to your job. Now that you are going to be working with us more often I'm sure the rumors will die down," he babbled.

 _"Well I wasn't worried before, but now I can't help but wonder,"_ she thought tiredly. _"I may not have been very talkative whenever I was here but I couldn't have given that bad of an impression, could I?"_

Pushing the thoughts away she decided to focus on the day ahead. "I won't let it get to me Inspector. What is the plan for today?"

-00-

"Care to explain how you know that Mr. Nagimura?" Megure questioned lowly, shoulders tense. The two officers behind him looked up from where they were examining the crime scene for anything they had missed, hands reaching for their belts.

Nagimura Akio panicked, realizing he had given himself away. Using his superior height to his advantage he turned on his heel and slammed into the third officer standing directly behind him. He prided himself on being a fast runner and they were on the first floor. As long as he could get out of the building-

Something smashed into him from above, slamming his face into the cold tile floor. The breath was knocked out of him and before he knew it his wrists were being pulled behind him and cuffed.

Shizuka made sure to keep her knee pressed harshly into the middle of his back as she tightened the cuffs mercilessly.

"Shizuka-san!" Megure cried in surprise, glancing between her and the second floor landing she had just jumped off of.

 _"Nice and sociable."_

"Sorry Inspector," she smiled sheepishly. "I saw him running for it and I just reacted."

Megure was still giving her a wide-eyed stare as the officers behind him gapped at her. "Ah, well, as long as you're okay," he said haltingly. "What were you doing up there?"

"I had to go to the bathroom," she smiled innocently.

-00-

"How about some lunch Shizuka-san?" Megure pointed at a deli as they walked back to the patrol car. They had just finished filing a report on the murder from that morning when Megure decided they needed some air.

" _Nice and sociable."_

"That sounds like a great idea," Shizuka grinned, once again fiddling with the straps on her camera. "Do you-"

"Thief!" a woman screamed just down the street. They both rushed towards the voice.

A large man wearing a trench coat and wide brimmed hat pulled low over his face was running right at them. Once they got close to each other Shizuka dropped down and swung her leg out, catching the man in the ankles. As he fell forward Megure pushed him further into the ground and placed his foot on the thief's back.

"Should I call it in?" Shizuka wondered, snapping a quick picture out of habit.

"Don't bother," Megure waved the suggestion away as he handcuffed the man. "Watashi does rounds around this time, he'll be driving by soon I'm sure."

Deciding to leave it at that, she scooped the forgotten purse off the sidewalk, eyes focused on the nicely dressed woman running towards them with a relieved look painted across her face.

"You run pretty fast," Shizuka commented offhandedly.

Megure smirked at her. "I may look like this," he gestured to his stomach, "but I'll have you know I'm faster than more than half the force."

"Huh," Shizuka turned the information around in her head. "We should have a race sometime."

The inspector grinned.

-00-

"A-and I just know something has happened to him! He has such a terrible sense of direction and I'm sure he's somewhere lost in this big city. He won't know what to do!"

Megure and Shizuka shared an awkward glance as the elderly woman blew her nose loudly using her handkerchief. Fujie Hana had come in to report her missing son just moments before and she had latched on to the first person that walked by her. Unfortunately, that had been Inspector Megure.

"Please calm down Fujie-san," Megure attempted to placate the distraught woman. "I am sure your son is just fine. How old is he?"

"T-twenty-two," she sniffled, blowing her nose loudly.

The two blinked at her in surprise.

 _"Nice and sociable."_

"I see," Shizuka gave a comforting smile. "And how long has he been missing?"

"Since this morning," she sobbed, hair a mess and face distraught. "I was supposed to come over for lunch and he wasn't home! I waited for hours but he never showed up!"

"All right, all right, just calm down," Megure guided her over to a couch in the lobby.

"Inspector," Shizuka whispered once she was settled. "He probably just forgot about the lunch."

"Ah," he agreed, shaking his head. "At first I thought she was looking for a kid, not a grown man."

They both shrugged helplessly, flinching when the wailing started up once more.

"Don't worry Fujie-san," Shizuka patted her shoulder consolingly. "If we hear anything you will be the first to know."

"Thank you so much dear. Here, this is my number," Hana grabbed Shizuka's hand and placed a card in the center of her palm. Shizuka was about to pull away when the grip on her hand suddenly tightened, dark brown eyes scanning over her face. "My, what a pretty young woman you are. Are you single? My son could use a nice girl like you in his life. He's been hung up on his high school sweet heart for years and it really is about time he moved on. I think you would be a perfect match for him!"

Shizuka's laugh was hollow as she pulled away quickly. She sent a scathing glare towards Megure when the man snickered.

-00-

"You just met him today?" Shizuka crossed her arms, eyes glinting.

"That is what I just told you!" The blond woman screeched. "I have never seen this man before in my life!"

"I see. Then would you care to explain the shrine that appears to be dedicated to him in your bedroom?"

Minori Hiko gasped in shock before pointing at Shizuka accusingly. "How _dare_ you go through my things!"

"I didn't," the girl deadpanned. "You left the door wide open."

When Hiko lunged for her Shizuka didn't even blink as Megure seemed to appear from out of nowhere, grabbing the crazed fanatic before her long manicured nails could so match as scratch her.

Once they had finished loading the murderous woman into a patrol car (Shizuka had taken very flattering picture of the woman being shoved in through the door while screaming her head off) Megure turned to her with a suspicious look.

"If I remember correctly, Minori's bedroom is on the other side of the house. What were you doing all the way over there?"

 _"Nice and sociable."_

"I had to go to the bathroom," she smiled innocently.

-00-

They were on their way to back to the station when they heard it. Megure pulled his car over quickly and they both got out.

A man was being mugged in the alleyway near the road, two much larger men shoving him into the wall and threatening him with a knife.

Megure pulled out his gun, ordering them to step back. When the one holding the knife came at them Shizuka ducked under his arm, grabbing his wrist with one hand and hitting his elbow with the other. There was a small popping sound and the man dropped the knife with a cry.

"Shizuka-san!" Megure shouted in shock.

"Don't worry Inspector, I didn't break it. He'll be fine in a few days," Shizuka grinned brightly while pressing the man's face into the wall. His partner watched on in fear, to terrified of the gun to move.

Megure just sighed, moving to cuff the other man.

"T-thank you," the rather tall, beaten victim stuttered as he pushed himself to his feet.

"Are you alright?" Megure questioned worriedly.

"I'll be fine, I think." He watched the two search the men for any other weapons. "M-my name is Haruki Natsume."

"Inspector Megure, and this is Kudo Shizuka," Megure introduced, putting the two muggers on the ground next to each other. He pulled out his phone to call for an extra car.

"The patrol car will take you to the hospital to be checked over Haruki-san," Shizuka informed him as she helped him over to the curb outside of the alleyway. It was a bit awkward due to the large height difference, but they managed. "Do you have any family you would like us to call?"

"Uh, yeah," he nodded, a dazed look on his face. "M-my sister. She should be just getting off work."

Shizuka frowned, taking in the glazed eyes. He was much younger than she had first guessed, looking no older than seventeen. "Do you have your phone on you Haruki-san?"

He stared at her for a moment before blinking. Patting down his pockets he shook his head.

"I see."

Standing up, Shizuka stormed over to the two muggers. Kneeling in front of them she tapped her fist on the ground just in front of their faces to get their attention.

"Did you take that man's phone?" she questioned calmly.

The one she had hit earlier sneered at her. "So what if we did?"

"Where is it?"

He spat at her shoe. She was vaguely aware of Megure watching the interaction between her and the two large men.

 _"Nice. And. Sociable."_

Megure watched as she leaned in closer, her lips forming a thin line as she talked too lowly for him to hear. The two men on the ground were staring at her with wide eyes and growing progressively paler.

"I-it's over behind the dumpster," the shorter one Megure had taken care of squeaked out.

"Thank you," she smiled graciously, standing to retrieve the phone. Once she had found it and returned it to Haruki she moved to stand by her mentor in order to give the poor kid some privacy.

"Ah, Shizuka-san," he started, looking between her and the two muggers. "What did you say to them?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing really. I just asked if they new where Haruki-san's phone was," she smiled innocently.

-00-

"Shizuka!" Megure called, waving her over.

"Yes?" She ambled over from where she had been filling out her reports.

"We have one more case for the night before you can go home," he grabbed his keys.

"Alright, what is it?" She followed him out to the car. The moment she slid into the passenger seat and clicked her seatbelt in he pulled out and drove out of the parking lot.

"There has been a murder at Starlight Apartments," he explained. "Apparently a man was found dead in a famous idols apartment."

Shizuka jotted it down in her notebook. "That's not something you hear every day. Who is the idol?"

"A fairly young new upstart," Megure turned onto the highway, the sirens on his car blaring. "Her name is Okino Yoko. You're actually the same age as her."

"I see," she hummed in thought. "I'm not all that interested in idols, so I haven't heard of her."

"She's grown progressively more popular over the last few months," Megure offered the little information he new.

Shizuka wrote it down, just in case. "Where was she when the body was found?"

"She was the one that found it, actually. She had been out of her apartment for most of the day and returned not to long ago."

"Was anyone with her?"

Megure nodded, turning off into one of the many exits. They could see the large, almost glistening apartment building in the distance.

"Her manager was with her, as well as a private detective she had hired just earlier today," he grumbled. "A man named Mouri Kogoro. Apparently his daughter and some other kid were with him as well."

Shizuka closed her notebook with a snap, her breathing deep and even. Tucking her pen behind her ear she looked out the window.

 _"Why is it that every time I hear about a dead body, Shinichi is in the area somewhere? Does he just not understand the concept of laying low? How hard is it to stay still and not attract attention to yourself?"_

"Here we are," Megure announced as they pulled into the apartment complex. They both jumped out of the car, a few officers arriving just behind them, and moved swiftly towards the reception area. When the desk manager tried to stop them Megure simply flashed his badge and continued on.

As a few more officers Shizuka didn't recognize piled into the elevator with them as Megure hit the button for the 25th floor.

"Would you mind taking the witness statements while we close off the crime scene Shizuka-san?" Megure asked, his tone growing serious as they ascended.

"Of course Inspector."

When the doors opened they all rushed out and down the hall. Three of the officers stayed behind to usher curious neighbors back into their rooms.

"Inspector Megure," he announced, coming to a stop in front of one of the rooms. "Please step aside."

Shizuka stepped in right behind him, two other officers following as well. Out of habit, she lifted the camera around her neck and took a few quick pictures of the room and the people in it. Most of the room was trashed. Nearly all of the valuables and picture frames had been thrown to the floor and shattered. There was a doorway leading to what looked like a kitchen and small hallway with two doors at the end. The only furniture remaining standing was the couch at the far end of the room, the coffee table (with an almost out of place, miniature statue of liberty on it) in front of the couch, and a wooden chair next to the body. The body itself was only a few feet from the door, back facing up with a large knife ( _"Kitchen knife, often used for cutting meats,"_ a voice sounding suspiciously like her father whispered in the back of her head.) sticking out of the middle of the man's back. Blood pooled around either side of the body, most of it dry.

Besides Megure and the police officers there were only five other people in the room. Three of them she knew, two of them she didn't.

The first one was a short woman (though she was still taller than Shizuka) with long, light brown hair and wide blue eyes. She was prettier than the average person and had an oval shaped face with small, round ears. There was a ribbon holding a good chunk of her hair up and she was wearing a long trench coat and dark boots. Shizuka assumed she had been outside recently.

The other man was wearing a standard suit that was a few sizes to big for him. He was much taller than the woman and had a very gaunt face. His shoulders were hunched and he was very scrawny looking. His dark eyes were slanted, his short black hair framing his wide forehead and making his large ears even more prominent.

"Shizuka!"

She lowered her camera, looking over at the familiar voice. Both the Mouri's and Conan were looking at her in shock.

"Hello Ran-chan, Mouri-san, Conan-chan," she greeted, eyes flitting over the scenery around them.

"What are you doing here?!" Kogoro pointed at her.

"I'm working with Inspector Megure," she replied easily, letting go of her camera to open her notebook. Taking the pen from behind her ear she flipped to a fresh page. "I don't have time for pleasantries. The Inspectore asked me to take the witness statements," she noticed that a few of the officers where within earshot, "…if you don't mind."

"Of course not!" Ran agreed, stepping on her father's foot harshly when he opened his mouth to speak. He shrieked and lifted his foot up in pain.

"Thank you," Shizuka smiled, ignoring the odd look Conan was giving her. "I'll start with Mouri-san so he can go help Inspector Megure."

Kogoro brightened and nodded self-importantly. "That's right! This case will be a piece of cake!"

"I'm sure," she deadpanned; smile returning when he scowled at her. "How are you related to the victim Mouri-san?"

She spent the next forty minutes getting to know the suspects and their alibis.

"Yoko-san left the building with her manager, Yamagishi Eiichi, around noon," she reported to her mentor. "Yoko believed she had a stalker and they spent quite some time at a nearby café discussing what to do. After seeing Mouri-san's advertisement in the paper they decided a discreet approach would be best so as not to threaten Yoko-san's reputation. After arriving at the Mouri Detective Agency around four in the afternoon they stayed until seven, detailing the incidents leading her to believe she was being stalked. Mouri-san requested to see where she lived in order to see if he could find any trace of the stalker. At seven thirty they arrived here and Yoko-san was the first one to enter and discover the body. Mouri-san's daughter immediately called for the police and no one else has entered or touched the crime scene since then."

"I see," Megure was staring at the body as she talked, watching forensics go over the scene. He turned towards Yoko. "So he was already dead by the time you returned?"

"Y-yes," Yoko nodded, wide eyes riveted on the body in her living area. Shizuka noted that her hands were shaking.

"And then you arrived with-," Megure peered over his shoulder dubiously.

"Me, Mouri Kogoro, Inspector Megure!" Kogoro saluted him with a bright grin. "Ah, this reminds me of the days back when we solved all those cases together!"

"Yes," Megure glared at him. "And because you were my subordinate it always turned into a nightmare," he muttered.

Shizuka was standing close enough to hear his mumbling. She tapped her pen on the open notebook, writing down a small reminder to ask about the Inspector's relationship with Kogoro later. As she wrote that down she noticed Megure tugging at his tie with a bothered expression.

"Is something wrong Inspector?" she asked.

He shook his head, finally loosening the knot of his tie. "No, this room is just very hot. Do you always have the heater on so strong?"

Shizuka looked around the room, noticing that all of the other officers appeared to be sweating as well. Now that she thought about it, it was feeling rather warm. She had just figured it was because of all of the people in the room.

"It's never this powerful," Yoko answered, looking confused. "And I turned off all the power when I left."

"That is quite strange," Megure nodded, rubbing his chin.

"That's not the only thing that's strange Inspector Megure," a small voice popped up. Shizuka turned to look at her brother with wide eyes as he examined the floor near the body with a magnifying glass he had taken off one of the forensic officers. "There are small, dried water marks all around the body, and the chair next to the body is still standing even though everything else in the room is knocked over," Conan continued, oblivious to the stares he was receiving. "And this room is too hot… Is it to make it impossible to tell the time of death? No, wait… maybe if the body was doused in water this would-" he blinked when a shadow fell over him. He looked up into the suspicious stares of Mouri Kogoro and Juzo Megure.

Shizuka slapped her forehead when Conan laughed sheepishly. She winced when Kogoro smacked him over the head and shooed him over to Ran.

"Who's the kid?" Megure wondered, watching Conan run off.

"Just watching him for a friend," Kogoro laughed before glaring at the boy. "Didn't I tell you not to interfere with my work?!"

Conan gave the older man a bland look. After allowing Ran to check his head in case of a bump he dashed over to Shizuka. Ran just sighed as she watched him go. She had no idea how he could be so hyperactive when they were at the scene of a murder. It was taking all she had not to lose her lunch at the sight of the bloody body.

"Hi Shizuka-neesan!"

Shizuka gave him a smile in return. She bent down on one knee to talk to him.

"You know," she murmured low enough to not be overheard, "I could have sworn we talked about laying low and not attracting any attention just a few days ago. I'm not sure what you're definition of that is, but most people would avoid interacting with popular idols that are constantly followed around by news reporters and paparazzi."

"Shut it," Shinichi shot back at her as he rubbed the back of his head. "Okino came to the old man and Ran dragged me along with her. Good thing too, this guy has no clue what he is doing."

Shizuka looked over at Kogoro who was laughing boisterously. "He certainly has a lot of energy."

Shinichi snorted. "If that's what you want to call it. Anyway, it's a good thing you're here. I don't know how I would keep them on the right track on my own."

"I won't be here all the time," she pointed out. "And I'm sure they aren't that incompetent. I've been with Megure all day and he's a perfectly able detective."

"I know," Conan agreed. "I don't know how I'm supposed to solve a case when I'm like this, and Megure might be a pretty good detective but he often misses the little clues no one really looks for."

Shizuka thought about it, agreeing for the most part. Once people found one solution they tended to avoid looking for other possibilities. "Alright, I'll give you that. I'll help you out this time but you need to find a way to help out on your own too. You're just going to have to find a way to guide Mouri-san to the right answer," Shizuka patted his head sympathetically. "He may be a bad detective, but he isn't a bad person. He wants to find the truth just as much as you do. I'm sure you'll figure something out."

Shinichi shrugged noncommittally. "I'm going to look around a little more. Do you mind keeping an eye on those two while I do?" he asked, pointing back towards Yoko and Yamagishi.

"No problem," she ruffled his hair, partly for show and partly to annoy him.

He glared at her before running off. Shizuka just smirked as she stood. When she walked over to stand next to Megure once more the man sent her a curious look.

"Do you know that kid Shizuka-san?"

"Yeah, he's the relative of an old family friend. His parents were in an accident so the Mouri's agreed to take him in for awhile," she explained.

Megure made a slight humming noise in the back of his throat before turning to speak to the two officers looking over the body. "How's it going over there? Have you discovered anything?"

"It was definitely the initial stab that killed him," the older of the two replied, motioning at the large kitchen knife sticking out of the corpse's back. "Most likely an instant death instead of bleeding out."

"Is that your knife?" Megure asked Yoko.

"Y-yes," she nodded, turning a light shade of green.

" _Scared. Nauseous. Doesn't appear nervous, but is definitely shaken up."_

"Then it will have your finger prints on it of course."

"…Yes."

 _"Ah, now she's nervous. Did she not realize her knife being the murder weapon might implicate her?"_

A tall, scrawny man stepped up next to her. "Wait," he sweated nervously, "are you accusing Yoko of killing this man?!"

Megure turned his suspicious gaze on him next. "Are you the manager then?"

"Yes, my name is Yamagishi Eiichi," he replied, twisting his hands together.

 _"Panicked. Wasn't nervous until Yoko was accused. A constant state of anxiety, perhaps an anxiety disorder?,"_ Shizuka watched Yamagishi closely as he was questioned. _"Worried, but mostly for Yoko. Sweating profusely, but that may be partially due to the heat."_

"Do either of you recognize the victim?" Megure wondered as Shizuka scribbled her observations down into her notebook.

The two looked at each other.

"W-well," Yoko shrugged.

"I was so scared I haven't even taken a good look," Yamagishi explained.

Megure sighed, stepping to the side so they could approach the body. "Then please, take a good look."

They hesitantly approached him, sticking close together as they went. They both gasped in shock once they got a good look at the body's face. Yoko latched onto Yamagishi's jacket as they both looked ready to scream.

"Do you recognize him?" Mouri asked after observing their reactions.

 _"Yoko is terrified,"_ Shizuka noted, pen moving swiftly over the paper. _"Showing signs of shock. Most likely she recognizes the victim, but it could be shock at having a face to match the body in her home. Yamagishi's anxiety has skyrocketed. Sweating has become even worse and his legs have started shaking. Similar circumstances? Probability that they both recognize the victim… 75%."_

"No…" Yamagishi squinted at the corpse, edging slightly towards the body. "Let me take a closer look." His foot slipped on the puddle of blood surrounding the body, sending him sprawling on top of the corpse.

He screamed, scurrying off and away as quickly as he could.

Shizuka's pen stopped as her eyes narrowed. Yamagishi had faked that fall, she was certain of it. Her mother was a renowned actress, and the jittery man was certainly not made for acting with how exaggerated his slip was.

She looked over at Conan to see if he had noticed. Her brother was staring at Yamagishi with sharp eyes. As the forensics expert yelled at Yamagishi for touching the body Conan suddenly dashed forward, slamming his foot down on the floor right next to the shaky manager. When he looked at the child questioningly Conan simply laughed as though he was playing a game.

Megure raised an eyebrow at the child's antics but quickly pushed it from his mind. "Well?" he asked them. "Do you recognize him?"

"No," Yamagishi shook his head. "I've never seen him before. Right Yoko?"

Yoko jumped slightly, looking at him with wide eyes. "N-never," she agreed, hands clenched in front of her.

 _"Both of them are lying. Probability up to 90%."_

"Very well," Megure stared at them doubtfully. "If we find out his identity you'll know for sure."

Shizuka edged around them, kneeling down next to Conan once more.

"What did you find?"

He moved his foot, revealing a strand of hair.

"This was in the corpse's hand," Shinichi explained. He had a better view of the body than anyone else when Yamagishi fell; all Shizuka had been able to see was the fall.

"Why would he hide it?" she muttered, hand rising to cup the lower half of her face.

"Is he the killer?" Shinichi turned to stare at him.

"Or is he covering for the killer?" Shizuka turned her gaze on Yoko.

Shinichi tugged at his hair in frustration. "There's something we're missing, I'm sure of it!"

"Then we keep looking," Shizuka showed him her notebook, making sure no one was watching them. "This is all I have so far. I'll keep an eye on those two and how they react, you keep looking for evidence."

"Right."

The two split off, Conan going to the areas of the apartment he had yet to explore and Shizuka moving to stand behind Megure once more. The Inspector had taken a seat on the chair next to the body, facing the back of the chair with his arms resting over the top. The forensic team had just loaded the corpse into a body bag and was carrying it carefully out of the room.

"The window was locked, it's the 25th floor, and it appears any entrance from the outside is impossible," Megure was listing off to himself. "The only available entrance to the apartment is the front door and we haven't discovered any finger prints on the murder weapon besides Yoko's." He tilted his head to look over his shoulder at the young woman. "I can't see how the killer can be anyone other than you."

Yoko looked startled. "N-no! I couldn't kill anyone!"

"She's right Inspector!" Kogoro was quick to jump to her aid, making Shizuka look up in bemusement. "Yoko-san came to me specifically for help!"

Megure wasn't impressed. "The one who calls for help is often the one who did it."

"Sometimes," Shizuka agreed, "but not always Inspector."

Conan watched the exchange from where he was standing next to Ran. She had started following him around, which was nerve wracking in a variety of ways, but so far she hadn't tried to stop him from wandering. She probably just wanted to make sure he didn't get into trouble.

"Don't they have duplicate keys?" Conan decided to try his luck again.

Ran was quick to snatch him up. "Don't!" she ordered, hoping her father wouldn't get mad at the boy again.

Kogoro was already glaring at him.

"Yamagishi-san has a duplicate as my manager," Yoko answered the question regardless.

 _"Is she trying to push suspicion on him?"_ Shizuka wondered. _"Or does she not realize what that could imply?"_

Yamagishi nodded along with her statement. "Yes, I have a copy."

 _"What? He doesn't even seem worried to admit that. Neither of them do."_

Shizuka continued to stare at the two, trying to puzzle out what they were thinking even as Kogoro had an apparent break through.

"Oh, that's it! The killer is Yamagishi!" He reached out and grabbed the trembling man by his shirt. "Yoko-san must have rejected you! Out spite you decided to kill someone in her apartment in order to frame her!"

Shizuka watched as the realization of what Yamagishi having a key could mean processed in the two suspect's minds. _"They both look genuinely surprised,"_ she noted down in consternation. _"What is it with these two? They behave suspiciously at random moments, but are perfectly normal at any other given time. They are obviously terrible liars, but when presented with evidence against them they don't even realize how bad it makes them look. This doesn't make any sense."_

"Wait a minute Mori-kun," Megure cut him off. "Where's the proof that Yoko-san didn't do it?"

Kogoro snorted, turning his attention to the young woman. "Poor little Yoko-san couldn't have possibly done this, right?"

Both of the Kudo siblings joined Megure in staring disbelievingly at Kogoro's back as he ushered her away.

 _"Isn't she my age?"_ Shizuka looked after them. She shuddered slightly, deciding not to think about it.

"U-um," Yamagishi twitched when they all turned back to look at him. "I-I did have duplicate key, but I lost it a few days ago."

"What?!" Kogoro barked. "Are you lying, you bastard?!"

"No!" Yoko grabbed onto the detective's arm. "He's telling the truth! The people at the station helped us look for it!"

Kogoro looked back at her, his expression softening. "Tch… Well, if Yoko-san says so."

"Ever since then I've been getting the feeling that someone else has been inside my apartment every time I come home. That is why I went to Mouri-san for help," Yoko explained.

"Hmmm," Megure stroked his chin in thought. "Do you have any ideas about someone who might have a grudge against you Yoko-san?"

"A grudge?" Yoko looked surprised. "Well, no, I can't think of anyone. Can you Yamagishi-san?"

"No, certainly not against Yoko…" he shook his head.

Shizuka watched their body language carefully. _"The lies they told earlier were blatant and easy to spot. Based on that they don't seem to be lying at all, but that wouldn't make sense if one of them were the killer."_ She paused, a slightly different idea filtering through her head. _"Unless, of course, they are both the killers. But that wouldn't make sense either. Why be together for the entire day if they don't want to be suspected of working together? And they seem perfectly fine giving information that might implicate the other, even though they don't seem aware of what they are doing at the time."_

She scratched her head with the end of the pen, not sure of what to think.

As she worked out what she could Conan had finally slipped away from Ran when she was distracted by Kogoro's yelling. He began searching around the final area of the room he had yet to get to due to all of the interruptions. He peered behind the TV and snagged another magnifying glass to get a better look at the floor. It was when he was passing by the couch that he finally found something.

"An earring?" he tilted his head. There was a single, triangular shaped earring just under the couch. "In a place like this?"

Jumping to his feet he ran over to Megure and tugged on his pant legs to get his attention. "Inspector! There's a-"

"You again," Kogoro growled and pushed him away. "You're being a pain, go wait with Ran!"

Megure shook his head as Kogoro made a shooing motion with his hand.

Conan cursed his new body. No one would listen to a child. With a heavy sigh he turned towards his sister, knowing he needed an adult to get the two men to listen.

He took a step before pausing. His eyes brightened as he looked down at the bowtie around his neck. He rushed over to squeeze behind the couch, setting the dial on the back of the bowtie to setting 14.

"Inspector! Look at what's under the sofa!" he called loudly threw the voice changer.

Shizuka jumped at the sudden loud shout and Megure looked around wildly for the owner of the voice.

"Who was that?" he asked even as he moved to look under the couch. A glint caught his eye. Taking out a handkerchief from his pocket he reached out and grabbed the earring off the floor.

"An earring?"

Shizuka grabbed the back of Conan's collar as he rushed from behind the couch.

"What was that?" she whispered.

Shinichi smirked, tugging at the ends of his bow tie smugly. "A voice modulator that Professor Agasa made. I might not look like an adult, but I can sound like one if I need to."

Shizuka looked moderately impressed.

"Oh!" Yoko came closer to look at the earring in Megure's hand. "That's Yuuko-san's!"

"Yuuko-san?" Shizuka perked up, letting go of Conan so he could continue looking around.

Yoko nodded eagerly. "Ikezawa Yuuko-san made her debut the same time I did. We often work together so I see her all the time, but why would her earring be in my apartment?"

"It can't be," Yamagishi stepped back in shock. "I-I've heard the Ikezawa Yuuko bears a grudge against Yoko for taking away her acting role but I don't think she would go this far!"

"Yuuko-san is angry with me?" Yoko looked heartbroken.

"There is a third suspect?" Shizuka straightened. _"Yoko seems genuinely upset, but Yamagishi brought up that grudge pretty quick. Is he grasping at straws? That wouldn't explain the earring, but it would match his personality so far."_

"The killer must be Ikezawa Yuuko!" Kogoro roared, making everyone jolt at the sudden loud noise. "Go arrest her immediately! Right Inspector?!"

"Y-yes, well," Megure blinked at the man's sudden burst of passion, "we'll bring her to the station. No, let's have her come straight here. We'll solve this all now!"

"You heard the man!" Kogoro pointed at the men and women standing around. "Hurry!"

Shizuka sat down against the wall and crossed her legs. _"Let's see how this plays out. We have all the pieces but the picture still isn't clear."_

She twitched when a hand was placed on her shoulder. When she twisted to see who it was Ran was looking down at her with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry Shizuka, I didn't mean to startle you."

"Don't worry about it Ran-chan. Are you alright?"

Ran sighed, wrapping her arms around herself. "I don't know how you and Shinichi do it."

Shizuka cocked her head to the side. "Do what?"

The younger girl bit her lip, eyes drifting towards the blood stains a few feet away. "How you can stay so calm around stuff like this? I've been to a few cases with Shinichi and he doesn't even flinch when he finds a body. I can't… I can't stop thinking about that poor man and- and even Conan-kun is calmer than I am!"

The two girls watched as the young boy puttered around the scene, talking with the officers animatedly.

"Well, Conan-chan is a pretty weird kid," Shizuka offered. "And Shinichi and I were raised around this kind of thing so we're more prepared for it. I would be more worried if you didn't freak out and cry every time we came across a crime scene."

"Hey!" Ran glared at her, feeling insulted. "I don't cry every time!"

Shizuka just laughed, making Ran's glare deepen as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"Shizuka!"

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry," Shizuka tried her best to curb her laughter. "Seriously though Ran-chan, it isn't a bad thing. It's completely natural. The rest of us are the ones that are weird."

Ran continued to stare at her dubiously before she cracked a smile. "You are pretty strange."

"Hey!" Now it was Shizuka's turn to feel insulted.

The two girls continued to chat away until the last suspect was escorted through the doors. Shizuka kept up the string of conversation with Ran but her eyes were on the tall blonde woman entering the room, her pen moving quickly across the paper in her hands.

 _"Tall, about 5'9. Sharp facial features and narrow green eyes. Has long, light brown hair similar to Yoko-san's. Walks and dresses confidently,"_ Shizuka wrote down, pausing when the woman froze at the sight of the body chalk and blood on the floor. She seemed to grow slightly weak at the knees until she spotted Yoko standing off to the side. She took a deep breath, as though relieved, and looked around with a bored expression. _"Perhaps she thought Yoko had been killed?"_

"You must be Ikezawa Yuuko," Megure approached her. "I am Inspector Megure. We have a few questions for you regarding a murder that was committed here earlier today."

Yuuko looked bewildered. "Murder? What on earth?"

"We'll explain everything in due time Ikezawa-san. First, we have been made aware of a rumor flying around that you hold a grudge against Okino Yoko. Is this true?"

Yuuko scoffed, gaining her bearings quickly as she flipped her hair over her left shoulder. "Of course I hold a grudge. Yoko got my acting spot even though she made her personal debut long after I made mine. I was obviously going to be upset, but what does that have to do with anything? This apparent murder is in her apartment right? Why did you have me come all the way over here when this has nothing to do with me?"

Shizuka tapped Ran on the shoulder before standing and moving back towards the main group.

"Ikezawa-san," she started, gesturing to the body outline, "a man was found dead here just a few hours ago. There was a kitchen knife in his back and no other fingerprints besides Yoko-san's have been found. It is impossible for anyone who does not have a key to get in-"

"Then this case obviously has nothing to do with me!" Yuuko interrupted, staring down her nose at the smaller woman. Shizuka glared at her irritably for cutting her off. "This is the first time I have ever been here!"

"Then why was this here?" Kogoro demanded, lifting up the small earring for her to see. "This is your earring isn't it?!"

"Oh," Yuuko perked up, reaching out to take it from him. "I thought I lost this somewhere. Thanks for finding it for me!"

Shizuka exhaled harshly through her nose. Yuuko didn't even seem slightly alarmed that one of her personal belongings had been found at a crime scene.

"It's not just the earring, we have a testimony from the manager downstairs that someone who looked like you was here," Kogoro pointed out.

"Well whoever that was it wasn't me," she dismissed flippantly. "This is ridiculous, you pulled me here right after I had gotten off work. I'm going to use the restroom."

"Wait!" Kogoro reached out to stop her.

Yuuko whipped around, enraged. "God you're persistent! You can't accuse me of being a murderer with an earring! Let me go home! I'm very busy!" Yoko rushed over to calm her down, but the enflamed idol just laughed at her. "Hah! I'm not as busy as the fan favorite of course," she sneered. "But if the media finds out about this then your image will take a nosedive I'm sure. Think of all the free time you'll have!"

Yuuko stalked off to the bathroom, laughing cruelly as she went. Shizuka scowled fiercely and went to pull Yoko back over to her manager.

"I-I didn't know she hated me so much," Yoko was downcast.

"Jealously can bring the worst out of people," was the only comfort she could offer.

 _"It can also be a strong motive. Yuuko could have committed the murder in order to frame Yoko, but that wouldn't explain her reaction when she first saw the blood. Why would she worry for Yoko if she knew who had been killed?"_

"What is it this time you brat?!" Kogoro hissed as Conan tried to get their attention. Shizuka sighed as Ran moved to pull the small boy away.

"No Conan-kun, you should leave them alone," she lectured, pulling him into her lap so he wouldn't run around again.

Conan blushed but quickly tried to escape. "But that lady who just came in-"

"Wow Conan-kun," Ran ruffled his hair, trying to distract him. "You're thinking so hard! That's great! But you're just a first grader okay? That's a little too young to be playing detective alright?"

Conan sighed in defeat. "O-okay, Ran-neesan."

Ran's eyes softened at his downtrodden look. "It's okay Conan-kun, dad and Inspector Megure are thinking as hard as they can right now. They'll solve it all pretty soon!"

Conan rolled his eyes and sent pleading looks towards his sister. Shizuka snorted at his helplessness but moved to get him.

"Of course, if Shinichi was here," Ran murmured wistfully, making the two Kudo's pause. "He would have solved this case right away." She hugged Conan tightly, her eyes narrowed with worry. "Where on earth did her disappear to? That mystery otaku…"

Shizuka watched as her brother's face crumpled right alongside Ran's. He leapt from her arms, turning to face her with an intense look. "I-I'm…" Shizuka made a hasty chopping motion to ward him off from whatever he was about to say. "I'm sure he'll be back soon!" Conan yelled instead. "So don't worry!"

Ran stared at him in shock. Conan twitched before laughing nervously.

"I mean, he'll probably be back. I'm sure. Hahaha."

Shizuka huffed, smiling fondly at the pair. She would have to come up with something to tell Ran once this was all over.

Something bumped into her from behind.

"Oh, sorry," Yuuko looked down at her. She had just come back down the hall from the bathroom. "I didn't see you there."

 _"Was that a crack at my height?"_ her eyebrow twitched. "Are you going somewhere Ikezawa-san?"

"Hmph," she turned her nose up. "I'm going home, obviously."

Shizuka grabbed her arm before she could move away. "I'm sorry, but that isn't an option right now. You are a suspect in a murder case, you have to stay where we can see you."

Yuuko ripped her arm away. "How many times do I have to tell you before you understand?! I have never been here before!"

"Again with this?" Kogoro appeared on the other side of Shizuka, making her back up quickly to avoid being boxed in between the two. "You're earring was found right over there!"

"I told you I lost that! Maybe Yoko stole it from me!"

Yoko gave her a startled look. "N-no Yuuko-san!"

"Whatever," the older idol growled. She pulled out a cigarette from her bag and grabbed the small statue of liberty off the coffee table. Pressing a small switch on the top of the head, the torch lit up with a small flame. She placed the end of her cigarette in the fire and set the odd lighter back down.

Conan and Shizuka gaped at her before the boy rushed forward to grab the lighter.

"Wow!" he cried, hitting the switch once more. "It's a lighter!."

Ran blanched as he played with the object. "Conan-kun, don't mess with that!"

The boy just laughed. "That's so weird, I thought it was just a decoration!"

Shizuka stepped up beside him, hands resting casually on her hips. "I thought it was just a souvenir Yoko-san had picked up somewhere. How did you know it was a lighter, Yuuko-san?"

The cigarette fell from her lips as her grip went slack. Kogoro and Megure where on her in an instant.

"They're right," Megure glared at her. "How did you know?"

Yuuko backed away from them nervously. "O-One of my friends has something like that! I-I just figured-!"

Megure refused to back down. "Where does this friend live? I'll have some of my men go check for themselves."

Yuuko flinched, her eyes focusing anywhere but on the two men.

Conan smirked and ran over to Yoko. "Excuse me!" he said loudly. "But where is the bathroom?"

Shizuka cursed internally, berating herself for not picking up the hint earlier.

Yoko shifted her gaze from the argument, unprepared for the sudden question. "What? Oh! It's down the hallway to the left."

"Thank you!" Conan cheered.

Kogoro grinned triumphantly. "That's right! You knew where the bathroom was earlier as well! How is it that you know all of this when you've never been here before?" Yuuko shrunk in on herself, unable to think of a valid answer. Kogoro laughed. "Shall I tell you what I think then? You know all of this because you are the murderer! You killed this man in Yoko-san's apartment to cause a scandal!"

"No!" she shrieked. "I-I never attacked him! He attacked me! I only fought back!"

"Attacked?" Megure frowned. "In this room?"

"Yes!" she shouted, before covering her mouth in horror.

"So you really have been here before!" Megure growled.

"Yes, I've been here before!" she snapped, arms rising defensively. "I used the spare key I stole at the studio!"

Shizuka high fived Conan when he came to stand next to her.

"Yuuko-san," Yoko murmured in disbelief.

Yuuko refused to look her in the eye. "At first I was just harassing her," she whispered, arms shaking. "She stole my work from me and I was angry! Those silent phone calls and secret camera pictures, those were all me!" She tugged at her hair angrily. "But Yoko kept doing her job like she was fine, and I got even angrier! So I stole the key to her apartment and went there when I knew she wasn't home. I was trying to find anything that could cause a scandal, but when I came in this afternoon a man was here too…" her eyes were glazed as she remembered what had happened. "H-he grabbed me and I fought against him with all my strength. I-I somehow escaped and I ran all the way home, but I didn't kill him!"

"I see," Megure looked towards Shizuka, nodding approvingly when she held up the notes she had taken. "And that is when you're earing fell off."

Kogoro didn't look impressed. "So you didn't just get carried away and killed him?"

Yuuko's eyes flared. "I told you I didn't kill him didn't I?!"

Shizuka sighed as Conan's shoulders slumped. They were right back where they started, except now they had an extra player to factor in.

"Inspector!" a tall officer with rather large ears ran into the room, a file in his hand. "We've identified the victim!"

"Oh, good!" Megure let out a relieved breath. If they new who the victim was it would be easier to make connections.

"Fujie Akiyoshi, age 22," the man stated out loud, reading from the file. "After graduating from Kounan high school he went on to work at the Kakuben Corporation. He recently left the company for unknown reasons."

Shizuka lifted her hand to her chin, thinking. _"Why does that name seem so familiar? I've never seen this man before."_ Her eyes grew wide, a terrible twisting feeling developing in her gut. Her mind flashed back to earlier that day, when an old woman came looking for their help. _"Oh no."_

 _("I was supposed to come over for lunch and he wasn't home! I waited for hours but he never showed up!")_

"Kounan high school?" Kogoro crossed his arms. "…Isn't that the school Yoko-san went to?"

"I-it must be a coincidence," Yamagishi wiped at the sweat on his brow. "Right Yoko?"

The young idol was looking at her feet, a conflicted expression on her face.

"Isn't it?" Yamagishi urged her nervously.

"I-I…" she clenched her fists. Eyes closed tightly she hunched her shoulders and shouted. "I know him!"

"What?!" Megure whipped around to stare at her.

"I know him," she repeated, far quieter. "In high school… I went out with him! He was my boyfriend!"

Everyone stared at her in shock.

( _"He's been hung up on his high school sweetheart for years and it really is about time for him to move on.")_

"Yoko!" Yamagishi cried in despair.

"I'm sorry Yamagishi-san!" she looked away from him. "But I couldn't hide it any longer!"

"I see," Megure regarded her solemnly. There were only a few reasons why someone would hide their relationship to a murder victim, and even fewer were done with good intentions. "You killed him to settle the relationship…"

Yoko's head shot up, face panicked. "No! I didn't! A-and he was the one to dump me back in high school! B-but," she bit her lip, looking back at the ground, "when I became a famous idol, he kept stopping by. He kept asking if we could get together so I moved here to get away from him! The moment I saw his face, I knew it was him but Yamagishi-san kept me from saying anything."

Yamagishi's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"I don't know what happened to him," her eyes started to water. "Please," she sobbed. "Pleas tell me who killed him!"

 _("Thank you so much dear.")_

They fell into a stilted silence, no one sure what to say.

"Inspector," Shizuka whispered, tugging at the sleeve of the large man's jacket.

"Do you have something?" he looked at her hopefully.

"No," she shook her head regretfully. With heavy fingers Shizuka removed the calling card from her pocket and handed it to him.

He took it with a confused look. "Isn't this Fujie-san's-" he cut himself off sharply, looking at the body outline on the floor.

"Fujie Akiyoshi was reported missing early today by his mother," Shizuka reminded him. Guilt rolled in her stomach like waves. Megure didn't look much better.

"...Call her," Megure handed the card back to her. The lines on his face had deepened, making him appear far older. "Have her go to the station. We'll meet her there once we've finished here."

"Alright," Shizuka nodded before ducking out of the room. This was not a call she was eager to make and in her distraction she hadn't noticed the small six year old scouring the room for more clues.

Conan was staring at a small indent on the wooden floor, thoughts racing.

 _"The room was a mess, but the chair next to the body is the only thing standing. The room was unnaturally warm and there are water marks on the floor,"_ he tallied off mentally. _"He had a few strands of hair gripped tightly in his hand…wait. Gripped? If he had been stabbed from behind then-"_ He shot to his feet as the pieces came together in his mind. _"That's it! It was-!"_

A deep chuckle from behind him filled him with dread.

"This time," Kogoro laughed lowly. "This time I've got it. The murder was the manager, Yamagishi!"

"What?!" the accused man balked.

Kogoro smirked victoriously. "This man hanging around on Yoko-san's trail was a nuisance, and on top of that they used to be in a relationship," he started to explain, lighting a cigarette and placing it between his lips. "And we all know you would do anything to avoid a scandal. You didn't want to inform the police of the body in her apartment, you stopped her from revealing her relationship with victim, and you just couldn't stand the thought of the man trying to come back into her life and ruining all of your hard work!" Kogoro held up the picture of the body, shoving it in front of the shell-shocked manager's face. "When you found him hiding in here you took your chance! You got into a fight with him and killed him as a result!"

"I-I…" Yamagishi stuttered, unable to speak.

 _"No!"_ Conan shouted mentally, looking around the room for anything to help fix the mistake. _"This is looking bad. Yamagishi can hardly get a word out and that idiot's reasoning sounds just reasonable enough to be believable. I have to shut him up but how?!"_

His internal cursing only grew louder when he realized Shizuka, the one person who would listen to him, wasn't in the room. He was on his own.

"It would be difficult for a woman to put a knife through a man's back like that," Kogoro continued on, making the small detective want to pull his hair out. "All of the facts add up Yamagishi-san. You are the only one who could be the killer…"

Conan made his move.

Jumping up so that his feet were level with the top of the coffee table he kicked the ashtray off the top, aiming it at the babbling detective.

Shizuka walked back into the room with a dark look on her face. As she entered the room she looked up just in time to see the ashtray slam into Kogoro's head. Kogoro stumbled, eyes rolling back as he fell onto the couch in a sitting position. By some odd miracle his cigarette continued to hang from his fingers, caught between the middle and index finger. The lighting above him shaded his face when it tilted forward, giving the appearance that he was thinking seriously instead of being knocked out.

"Mouri?" Megure stepped forward, unsure of what had just happened. Kogoro had been directly in front of him so he hadn't seen the ashtray. "Are you alright?"

"Dad?" Ran wasn't sure what to make of her father's odd movements.

"Is what I would like to say," Conan continued right where Kogoro had left off, "but that is not the truth."

"Huh?" They all stared at him with varying degrees of disbelief.

Shizuka placed her hand over her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm her frazzled nerves in vain. _"That is not what I meant when I said guide him, Shinichi! God I hope Mouri-san doesn't suffer any brain damage."_

"Yamagishi-san, you have a spare key for this room correct?" Conan held the bowtie close to his face, praying no one would get close enough to notice Kogoro's mouth wasn't actually moving as he spoke.

"Y-yes," Yamagishi managed to sputter out.

"Then of course you are a suspect, however if you had killed him, then come to me to have the body discovered, you would have some kind of proof of innocence or an alibi prepared before we spoke. You had no such thing. The same can be said for Okino Yoko. As the owner of the apartment you would be the first one to be suspected but you had no alibi to support you."

Megure looked between the three suspects, two having been knocked off the list. "Then the killer must be Ikezawa Yuuko!"

Yuuko stepped back, face pale as a sheet. "W-wait-!"

"No," Conan cut in, Kogoro's voice coming out gruff. "It wasn't her either."

Shizuka looked at the people in the room in confusion. _"We only have three possible suspects, unless we missed someone. Who else could have done it?"_

"Yuuko-san, you may have hid the fact that you had been here before from us, but you told us yourself that you had been attacked by the man who is now dead. If you had killed him in the spur of the moment, you never would have said you met him. You would have been the only one to know about the encounter and we never would have learned the truth."

"Then there is no solid proof to connect any of these three to the murder," Megure scowled.

"Exactly," Conan felt his shoulders relax slightly now that he knew they all understood. "I do have proof to support my guess, however."

Megure wasn't sure what to make of Kogoro's claims. They seemed reasonable and well thought out, but they were nothing like the usual outbursts the man was known to have. "You're guess?"

"Yamagishi-san. Earlier, when you realized who Fujie Akiyoshi was, you pretended to slip and took a few hairs from the corpses grip."

"What?!" Megure roared, bearing down on the much skinnier male. Yamagishi's feet almost lifted off the ground when he was pulled up by his collar. "So you are the murderer!"

"No," Conan tried to placate the inspector quickly. "The problem I have is not why Yamagishi-san took the hair, it was why the body was holding the hair in the first place."

"Oh!" Shizuka exclaimed, making her mentor look at her. The dark look on her face only deepened as the realization of what happened settled in her mind. What on earth was she supposed to tell Fujie-san now?

"What is it Shizuka-san?" Megure questioned, still holding Yamagishi by the collar of his shirt.

"The victim was stabbed in the back, yet he had the hairs of his attacker held tightly in his fist," Shizuka kept her face carefully blank. "Not only would it have been very difficult for him to grab onto his attacker, but his fists would have loosened when he was stabbed. It is an automatic reaction to shock and he would not have been able to hold onto the hairs so tightly."

"Yes," Conan agreed. "This was meant to look like a murder committed by Yoko-san."

Megure suddenly released Yamagishi, causing the man to stumble. "To look like a murder? It can't be!" Megure looked at the body outline,

"Yes," Conan stated intently. "The killer was Fujie-san himself!"

Ran's hands flew up to cover her mouth in shock. "A suicide?" she whispered in shock. Shizuka stepped forward to stand next to her.

"That isn't possible," Megure pointed out. "There is no way he could have stabbed himself in the back like that."

Conan nodded, forgetting that they couldn't actually see him. "That is exactly what he wanted you to think. If he was stabbed in the back then it couldn't possibly be a suicide, but by using a simple ice trick it is entirely possible. Think about what the room was like when you entered, Inspector," he requested. "Do you remember the high temperature and the odd water marks on the floor? Or how the only thing still standing in the room was the chair near the body's feet? There should be a mark on the floor near the body chalk, do you see it?"

Megure rushed over to where the body had been and knelt down to get a better look. "This mark here?" he wondered, catching sight of an indent on the floor.

"I see," Shizuka came to kneel next to him, patting Ran's shoulder as she passed. "He must have made a hole in a block of ice and placed the handle of the knife in it. If he had jumped off the chair backwards, towards the knife it would have went right through him. The pressure must have shattered the ice, allowing the knife's handle to make an indent in the wood."

"Then the high temperature would take care of the much smaller ice chunks," Conan finished for her. "In his last few moments of life he rolled over onto his front with Yoko's hair in his hand. He most likely took a few strands from a hairbrush or something of the sort somewhere in the apartment. If we ran for finger prints I am positive his will be found."

"then why did Yamagishi take the strands of hair?" Megure demanded, refusing to let go of the fact that the manager had knowingly tampered with the crime scene.

"He must have thought Yoko-san killed him," Shizuka reasoned, brushing off her clothes off and standing up. "He tired to hide the hair so no one would know."

"Yamagishi-san," Yoko breathed.

"Sorry Yoko," he apologized sincerely, voice far more steady now that he wasn't being accused of murder.

"Then why on earth did he attack me?" Yuuko questioned.

"The mind likes to play tricks on people when they are scared," Shizuka offered, returning to her place by Ran. "You were in Yoko's apartment believing yourself to be the only one there. An unknown man appears and reaches towards you, making you panic and run away. Did Fujie actually harm you Yuuko-san?"

The blond woman lowered her head in thought. "I-I don't think he did, now that I think about it. He was talking and reaching out to grab my arm, but he never actually hurt me."

"He most likely mistook you for Yoko-san," Conan clarified. "The two of you look nearly identical from behind."

There was a silent cry from the corner of the room. Shizuka looked over as Yoko desperately tried to wipe the tears from her eyes. "I-I don't understand," she moved her head from side to side in disbelief. "Why? Why would he do all of this? _He_ broke up with _me!_ "

"No Yoko," Yamagishi spoke up, voice layered with guilt. "I asked him to break up with you."

"W-what? Why?! How could you-?!'

"Inspector!" the same police officer from earlier ran in. "We found this at the victim's house!"

Shizuka stood on the tips of her toes to read the journal belonging to Fujie Akiyoshi. She twitched slightly at the words _lunch with mom tomorrow_ written in the margins of the most recent entry.

"...He still loved you Yoko-san," she turned to look the idol in the eyes once she had finished reading. "He wanted to be together with you regardless of how the public saw your relationship. He wanted to clear up all of the misunderstandings between you, and when he thought Yuuko-san was you, the harsh rejection was to much for him."

Yoko's face crumpled as she fell to her knees, sobbing into her hands. Shizuka was surprised to see Yuuko bend down next to her and pull the distraught woman into a fierce hug.

"Ow!" a sudden cry of pain made everyone jump. Kogoro shot out of his seat, the tail end of his cigarette burning his fingers.

"Mouri-kun you were absolutely correct," Inspector Megure grinned in awe, coming over to clap Kogoro on the shoulder. "You really are a great detective!"

Shizuka smirked at the amazed disbelief in the inspector's voice. She zeroed in on Conan as he came out from behind the couch.

"Conan-kun, there you are!" Ran rushed forward to grab him. "What were you doing back there?"

Shizuka simply shook her head when the boy just laughed loudly.

"Alright men, lets finish this up," Megure ordered, motioning for the officers in the hall to come in to help. He wanted to put the case behind him as fast as possible. Cases like that just left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Shizuka glanced at him for a moment before approaching the solemn group in the corner. Yoko was sobbing into Yuuko's shoulder while Yamagishi was standing off to the side in silence.

"Yoko-san," Shizuka called softly, kneeling down next to the two women. "We are going to be heading back to the station soon. Do you happen to know Fujie Hana?"

Yoko pulled away from Yuuko, her eyes wide and puffy. "T-that's Akiyoshi's mother. Oh no," she breathed in horror. "What am I going to tell her?! H-how do I even-!"

Shizuka held her hands up in a placating manner. "Yoko-san, calm down. I actually met Fujie-san earlier today. I've already called her down to the station and she is waiting for us there. We will inform her of what happened here, I simply wanted to know if you wished to be there when we spoke to her."

The young woman was silent for a long time, but Shizuka was willing to wait. Yuuko was still holding on to her rival, offering what comfort she could.

"…I would like to come," she whispered softly. "I have to tell her- I have to let her know that I never meant for this to happen. She deserves the truth from me, and I-I…"

"Alright," Shizuka agreed. "You can wait here until we are ready to go."

She was about to stand when Yuuko's hand shot out to grab her wrist. "I'm coming too!"

"Yuuko!" Yoko looked at the other woman in shock.

Yuuko slowly released her grip on Shizuka's wrist, looking down. "This is partly my fault too. It's not your fault Yoko."

Shizuka smiled and nodded her agreement. "Preparations will take at least half an hour. Please take that time to gather yourselves and think about what you want to say."

As she left the two to their thoughts, she looked over towards Yamagishi. The man looked conflicted, his fists clenched so tightly they shook. If he came or not, Shizuka didn't doubt for a second that he would be transferring jobs or quitting entirely. The guilt on his face and in his body language was overwhelming, and from what she could tell he was not a man who handled that kind of burden well.

"Shizuka-neesan!" Conan waved her over. He was standing by Ran while Kogoro was looking at his reflection in the mirror with pride.

"You guys can go home if you want," Shizuka told them as she walked towards them. "Inspector Megure won't be expecting Mouri-san's report until tomorrow since it's so late."

"Are you sure?" Ran glanced over to where Yoko was, brows furrowed.

"I'm sure," Shizuka nodded. "Yoko-san and Yuuko-san are coming with us down to the station to take care of a few more things, so I'll make sure to keep an eye on them."

Ran smiled gratefully. She didn't think the poor idol should be left alone after everything that had happened.

Shizuka just shrugged, unable to fake a positive expression under the knowledge of what exactly they would be doing at the station. Instead, she bent down to say goodbye to her brother.

"I'll see you later Conan-chan," she held out her arms expectantly.

Conan stared at her in horror, but was forced to hug her under the watchful eyes of his childhood friend.

"You better keep a close eye on Mouri-san you little brat," she whispered into his ear menacingly. "If he has a concussion it will be your responsibility to make sure he is okay."

Shinichi sighed, having expected as much. "I didn't hit him that hard, he'll be fine."

"Watch. Him... and good job." She pinched his arm in warning before letting him go. "Alright, well I'll see you guys later then. Great work today Mouri-san."

Kogoro preened under the praise. As they were leaving Shizuka was surprised when he left Ran and Conan by the door to go speak to Yoko. She was almost expecting to hear loud boasting, but he was speaking far to quietly for her to make out what he was saying. She saw him hand Yoko something that looked like a business card and a cloth. Yoko gave him a small smile and nodded, wiping her eyes with the handkerchief he had given her.

"Huh," Shizuka smiled a bit herself.

"Shizuka-san, lets go!" Megure called her.

She nodded and hurried over to him. "Do you mind if we take on a few extra passengers?" she asked, inclining her head towards the group in the corner.

Megure looked at them for a long moment before turning to her. "There's plenty of room in the car."

"Good," Shizuka crossed her arms. "I'd feel like I have to ride with them even if you didn't take us, and I don't want to get in one of those nasty smelling patrol cars if I don't have to. They always smell like old sweat socks and some kind of rotten food."

There was a small silence before she realized what she had just said. She panicked a bit as Megure stared at her with wide eyes.

He suddenly burst out laughed, reaching out to clap her on the shoulder. "They do smell pretty bad. I think the best part about becoming a detective was getting my own personal car!"

Now it was Shizuka's turn to stare as he simply continued to laugh while motioning for her to go get the two idols.

 _"Nice and sociable,"_ she thought, feeling a little out of place. _"I guess I could add on to that as I go."_

 **Bahh, good lord that chapter took forever. It's been so long since I'd seen this case, I had to keep going back to get everything down accurately. I'm not sure how I feel about that ending… It just feels off to me but I can't think of any other way to end it without adding another ten pages. Bah.**

 **Also, at the beginning of this chapter I tried to show Shizuka's dislike of working with others in a reasonable way, but I don't think I showcased it very well. She is very uncomfortable around people when she has to be herself, but she is fine when she is acting. She enjoys acting. She doesn't really trust people (for reasons that will be explained later) and she has always preferred to be on her own. I don't know if I explained that well, so if I messed up somewhere please tell me so I can fix it. Thank you!**

 **Anyways, do you guys want to actually see Shizuka's interaction with momma Fujie? I was originally planning to just have her kind of recap on it, but if you guys are interested I'll be happy to throw it in there. If not, I'm eventually planning on making a one-shot compilation based off this story because there are so many other things I want to write about that have no actual plot relevance, so I can always just add it on there at a later date. It's up to you guys cause I could go either way! Anyway, I hope you guys liked this one! Constructive criticism is welcomed with open arms! (Flames are welcomed with laughter and large bouts of sarcasm. :)**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Much shorter chapter this time, I'm afraid. Chapter length will probably depend on case length so it'll vary here and there. Since everyone who reviewed wanted to see it, I put the momma Fujie scene in. I hope I did it justice. It was kind of hard to write this chapter and I'm not sure I really like it but it still fits everything I need it to and I like it enough to keep everything. This chapter involves the Coded Map City case, which doesn't actually happen in the manga for a little while longer but is the next case in the anime. I'm going to be picking and choosing from the two different timelines depending on what fits this story best so sorry if it gets a little confusing. I'm also giving Shizuka some pretty high tech camera equipment because the technology in the Detective Conan world is randomly modern at times.**

 **turquoise ninja 012: Oh she has quite a few faults and while she is good at finding figuring things out she can often miss the obvious things. I'm trying to give her some good, in depth personality flaws that aren't too obvious but still work towards her development. Thank you so much for your kind review!**

 **Mystery0028: Consider it done!**

 **JarayZ: Unfortunately this chapter isn't near as long as the last one, but I'm going to try to fit one case per chapter so however long the case is will usually be a good indicator of how long the chapter will be (unless it's arc storylines). I'm glad you liked those! I think I've found my running joke for Shizuka. Megure will start to become very suspicious of her 'bathroom breaks', I'm sure. I always feel bad for Kogoro whenever he gets knocked out (how can a sleeping drug have no side affects after being used nearly every other day? Manga/anime logic!). I hope I did the Fujie scene alright. Thank you for reviewing!**

 **908-03: You are fantastic! Thank you for all of the feedback, it was very helpful! You cleared a lot of my worries :). I'm definitely going to give her a Watson, but who exactly that is going to be is still up in the air. The idea for this story came to me not to long ago so I don't actually have too much planned out at this point, but that makes it a lot of fun to write. I tried my hand at the Fujie scene, and while I feel like I could somehow make it better everyone I have asked to read it says it is good so I hope it meets up to expectations. I try to be as descriptive as possible without seeming overbearing about it, but sometimes I just write what I see in my head without actually explaining it. That's why I try to be detailed. It's good practice too. Every time Yoko is brought up or shows up for a case and Kogoro goes crazy over her Shizuka will be very weirded out. She judges him. A lot. I've only ever been in a patrol car once, because my friend's dad was a cop and he gave us a ride in it when I was little, but that is exactly what it smelled like. He always had a bag of clothes with him and he ate his lunch in it all the time. I've always assumed that, since a lot of cops spend quite a bit of time in those cars, most of them will smell a bit like that unless they take some hard-core methods to prevent it. Thank you for such a long and informative review! It made me squeal and do a little dance (to which my sister stared at me like I was crazy).**

 **MidoreEmerald13: Of course! I actually love answering questions, though I tend to get a bit long winded in my answers. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **On to the chapter! Please enjoy!**

 **-00-**

 **Chapter 6: Day Off**

 **-00-**

She used to take cases that involved solving crimes instead of tracking them. Figuring out who the criminal was instead of working from within to trip them up and catch them before they struck again. It was only natural for her to start with murder cases above all others with who here family was. Since the day she was born she would watch her father find the answers with reasoning and wit before making a picture no one else could see. She saw how her brother watched the man with envy and awe, wishing to jump in and solve the case all on his own.

Barely anyone remembers those first few cases she had snuck in on when she was fifteen, and how she had helped just as her father would have if he had been there. How she had fluttered around the body with the famous Kudo stare, found evidence no one else had noticed, and pieced together the puzzle that only she could see. Solving crimes was practically in her blood, and she had loved the thrill of it.

Until she realized what exactly being the one to pinpoint the murderer actually meant. There was the paperwork to fill out, the statements to give, the empowering feeling of being so young yet still able to catch a killer just like her father, and… the families. The families and friends of the victim who wanted answers. Wanted some _reason_ why their loved one had been killed out of the billions of people in the world. The ones she would have to watch fall apart _every single time_ because you can't catch a killer until someone is dead. She still admired her father (and her brother when he got old enough) but she hated being the one to tell people that their loved one had been killed because of petty spite, or jealously, or a misunderstanding, or for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

That was when she decided to go a different route. Instead of figuring out the how or why of a case, she focused on the ones that got away with their crimes and the ones who were clearly going to commit something in the future. She went after the criminals that everyone already knew were bad because not only did they deserve to be put away but because telling someone you got them brought relief instead of crushing pain.

In the end she felt like a coward, but the work still mattered and it helped in a lot of different ways so she could live with herself as long as she took the assholes down.

Unfortunately, crime followed the Kudo household like a curse, and no matter how fast she ran it would always catch up. This is why it didn't come as any surprise when it was left to Shizuka to break the news of what had happened to Fujie Akiyoshi.

Inspector Megure had been called to Avelia's office for debriefing the moment they got back and the other officers that had been at the scene had scattered like leaves in the wind. It did not help that Yoko and Yuuko (Yamagishi had failed to make an appearance, but she didn't blame him) were sticking close to her due to some weird female connection they apparently felt.

In yet another act of cowardice (just because her family was good at this kind of thing didn't mean she was, damnit) she had planned to wait for however long it took for Megure to come back, but the second she had ushered Yoko and Yuuko into the main lobby to sit down she had practically been bowled over by a near hysteric older woman.

Fujie Hana was frantic, fearing the worst. When Shizuka had called her she had simply said she they had information on her son and she should come down the station as soon as she could. Her mostly grey hair with a few black streaks had been in a tight bun the last time she had seen her, but now it was down and tangled in a way that made Shizuka believe she had been pulling at it. She was still wearing the same flower print dress, though she had a dark brown jacket on this time as well as a different pair of black slip on shoes.

"Detective-chan," Hana's voice wavered dangerously and Shizuka almost winced at how red her eyes had become. "I got down here as fast as I could but when I asked for you they said you hadn't come back yet."

Shizuka stared at her with wide eyes before movement out of the corner of her eye snapped her out of her momentary daze (how was she even supposed to begin to explain what happened?). Covering Hana's hand with her own, she gestured for Yoko and Yuuko to stay where they were. The two where obviously still shaken by what had happened and she wanted them to calm down a bit before they tried to explain their sides of the story.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to get here Fujie-san," Shizuka said sincerely, violently pushing back the little mental voice that reminded her she had been perfectly fine with the idea of running away.

Hana nodded, eyes scanning over her face for any hints as to why she had been called earlier. "You sounded so serious on the phone," she gripped Shizuka's hand tightly. "Have you found my son?"

"Why don't we sit down first," Shizuka offered, subtly guiding the shaking woman to a more secluded area of the lobby. "You look like you're about to fall over."

"Oh," Hanna nodded jerkily. "Yes, I suppose I do feel a touch light headed. I've been working myself into quite the panic."

"It's alright, let's just get you settled down."

Shizuka helped her lower herself into one of the many chairs before pulling another one around so that she was sitting directly in front of her with their hands clasped between them.

Hana shifted to the sides a bit, before looking her straight in the eye. "Please, tell me what you know about my son."

Shizuka froze for a moment, not sure where to go from there.

 _"Just be honest. Stay calm and tell her exactly what happened,"_ her father's voice rang through her head.

"Fujie-san," she tightened her own hold on the woman's hands, "there is no easy way to tell you this, but your son was found dead earlier today."

Hana went still, her pupils dilating. Her arms looked frail but the grip she had on Shizuka's hands was almost painful. She didn't move for a long while, seeming almost frozen in time, and Shizuka wondered if she should do something when she noticed Hana didn't seem to be breathing.

The moment was shattered when Hana took a deep, shuttered breath and let it out as a quiet sob.

"M-my boy," she shook her head in disbelief, eyes overflowing with tears. "I-it can't be true. You're lying!"

Shizuka didn't say anything, waiting until her mind had processed everything.

Hana suddenly looked at her with desperate, questioning eyes. "H-how is this possible? W-what- how?! What happened to my baby?!"

Shizuka let go of her hands when Hana moved to cover her face. She sobbed heavily into her hands, shoulders shaking violently. Shizuka wasn't sure what to do, so she simply sat there and allowed the woman to mourn.

There was still so much to tell.

"W-what happened?" Hana croaked out.

"Fujie-san," Shizuka folded her hands together in front of her and tried to keep her voice as soothing as possible. "Were you aware of your son's feelings towards Okino Yoko?"

Hana sniffled loudly, rubbing the backs of her hands across her eyes. "Yoko-chan? O-of course, he was obsessed with that g-girl." Shizuka could only watch on sympathetically as she broke into a fresh round of tears. "I-I always told that f-fool son of mine that if he l-loved her he should have never let her go."

"Fujie-san," Shizuka reached out to place a steadying hand on her shoulder. "Akiyoshi-san was found in Yoko's apartment."

Hana's head shot up, eyes filled with confusion at first before they slowly filled with rage.

"D-did she-?!"

"No," Shizuka was quick to placate her. "No, Yoko-san had no idea he even knew where she lived. She was the one who found him."

"O-oh," she looked relieved, and Shizuka felt a stab of guilt as she realized she was about to crush her heart even further.

"He went to visit her," Shizuka explained, keeping her hand in place. As an afterthought she moved her thumb in slow, soothing circles in a similar manner her mother had done when she was younger. "He wanted to talk to her about getting back together, but he mistook someone else as Yoko-san. She didn't recognize him and panicked." Shizuka swallowed as Hana took in her every word. She kept her face passive but her insides were coiling like snakes. "Akiyoshi-san thought he had been rejected, and very harshly at that. He was… overcome with bitterness."

Hana was watching her closely, her mind attempting to focus on anything besides the fact that her son was gone. Shizuka felt her hand twitch as Hana's eyes suddenly filled with dawning horror.

"No," she breathed, voice breaking.

"I am so sorry Fuj- no, Hana-san," Shizuka looked her straight in the eye. "He took his own life."

Hana let out a piercing wail as she curled in on herself. Shizuka lifted her hands as though to do something, but she wasn't sure what would help or what would make the situation worse. When the cries continued she reached forward and pulled Hana into an embrace.

"I'm sorry," Shizuka whispered, eyes riveted on the wall behind her. "I am so sorry."

She wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but at some point a familiar figure made it's way into her line of sight.

Megure was looking at the two of them in concern. He glanced over to where Yoko and Yuuko were sitting but they seemed no better off. They were both crying and Yuuko's makeup was starting to smear.

 _"They probably heard Hana-san crying,"_ Shizuka thought blankly. _"I should let Yoko come over. A familiar face might help… or make it worse… but it could help…"_

Deciding there was almost no possible way to make things worse at this point Shizuka looked at Megure pointedly before nodding her head towards Yoko. Megure looked at the idol and then back to her before nodding. He walked over to the two, making them both look up at him. Shizuka couldn't hear what they were saying but after a moment or two Yoko nodded and got to her feet.

"Hana-san," Shizuka murmured, pulling back slightly. "Yoko-san is here as well."

Hana barely had the strength to look up, but when she did she was able to lock eyes with the young idol as she made her way over. Shizuka let go as their faces crumpled almost simultaneously. Yoko rushed forward, flinging her arms around Hana with a harsh cry.

"Y-Yoko-chan," Hana buried her face in the younger girls shoulder.

"I'm sorry Fujie-chan," Yoko bawled.

Hana just clung on to her even tighter.

 _"…Yes Shizuka, just keep staring at them with the emotional output of a rock, that is going to help."_

Rubbing her palms over her knees she decided it would be best leave the two alone.

"I'll give you two some privacy," she stated softly, standing slowly so as not to startle them. With one last glance at the mourning women she walked away.

-00-

"Is this everything?" Avelia asked as he looked through the small pile of reports.

"Yes. Can I go home now?" Shizuka tapped her foot irritably. She had been planning on simply handing in her reports regarding the cases she had been a part of and heading straight home but the behemoth of a Chief decided he needed to look over every little word before she could leave.

"Not quite yet. Why don't you take a seat?" he motioned towards a random chair on the far wall. It was one of the few in his office that actually had a reclining footrest and had the comfiest cushions (besides his chair of course). It was also her personal favorite, but she refused to be swayed.

"I'd prefer to leave," she snipped.

Avelia set down the last file, the one about Fujie Akiyoshi's death, and looked at her solemnly. "You seem upset about something."

She scowled at him. "I wonder why."

"I do to," he leaned back in his chair.

They stared each other down, both sides refusing to back down. There was a light knock on the door.

"Come in!" Avelia called, gaze never wavering.

"I've got the last report on the-," Megure paused mid-step. "Am I interrupting something?"

Shizuka relaxed her shoulders and sent him a small smile. "Not at all Inspector. I was just going."

"Ah," Megure looked between her and his Chief. Deciding to drop the matter he stepped fully into the office. "Are you going to be alright on your own?"

Shizuka tilted her head to the side. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You seemed distant after your talk with Fujie-san," Megure explained. He didn't see Avelia's eyes dart to the file on his desk but Shizuka did. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you through that."

Shizuka gritted her teeth but forced herself to give Megure an understanding look. "Don't worry about it Inspector. That wasn't my first time in a situation like that and just because you are my mentor on the force doesn't mean you need to be held responsible for anything that I do."

"I see," he continued to stare at her uncertainly but moved to give the files in his hands to Avelia. "Well, here is everything from today sir."

"Thank you," Avelia placed them on top of the ever-increasing pile on his desk. "I'll look through these as soon as I can. Do you have anything else to do for the night Megure?"

Megure thought about it and shook his head.

"Perfect," Avelia smirked. "Then would you mind giving Kudo here a ride home? I'm afraid she would walk there otherwise."

"This late at night?" Megure frowned and Shizuka cursed the chief in her mind. "I'd be happy to Shizuka-san, let me just go get my coat."

"Thank you Inspector, but you really don't have to. I'm perfectly capable of seeing myself home," her tone was light but her eyes glared daggers at the smug man behind the desk.

"It is no problem at all, Shizuka-san. A young woman like you shouldn't be walking anywhere this late. I would feel much better knowing you got home safely," Megure was already halfway out the door.

"Thank you," she managed to squeeze out.

"I'll be right back, and then we can go."

The door clicked shut behind him and Shizuka quickly calculated how long it would take to strangle Avelia before anyone else came knocking.

"I don't think you'd manage in time," Avelia chuckled, as if reading her mind. "Besides, if Megure didn't give you a ride I would have."

"I want none of your clucking, mother hen," she hissed.

He raised his hands in a (false) show of peace. "Just looking out for my people. Which reminds me, you don't have to come in tomorrow. I've got a batch of transfers from the academy coming in and it will be hard enough to keep track of them as it is. I don't need to have to keep an eye out for demented consultants too."

Shizuka gapped at him. "I am _not_ demented, I am simply dedicated. I don't need a day off."

"Tough," Avelia shrugged. "Megure is going to be helping to get them all settled so if you really want to deal with a bunch of greenies fresh out of the academy then go right ahead and come in."

"Tch," she clicked her tongue and crossed her arms.

"That's what I thought. Seriously Kudo, take a break. You got back not even a week ago and you're already trying to pile on the case load. Just relax, read a book, go out on the town without running down some con in the streets, I don't care. Just take a day."

She didn't answer him, but she didn't say no either. She was feeling stressed, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. She was just thrown off by the- the sudden speech she had had to give a grieving mother. She would get over it (though she would never, ever forget it) and then she would be right back the way she was before.

They remained in the silence until Megure returned to fetch her.

"Shizuka," Avelia called before she could close the door behind her.

"What?" she groused.

"I couldn't find anything wrong in your reports," he stated seriously. "You made the right choices. Good work."

Her grip on the doorknob tightened, her knuckles turning white. She bowed her head quickly before closing the door with a slight bang.

"Do you have everything you need Shizuka-san?" Megure questioned while adjusting the hat on his head.

"Yeah," she pulled at the straps of her bag and tapped her camera. "I've got everything."

They had to pass through the lobby to get to Megure's car. Hana was exactly where she was before, though she was sitting straight up now. Tears still flowed freely down her face, but she seemed able to breath a little easier, much to Shizuka's relief. Yoko and Yuuko sat on either side of her, each holding one of the older woman's hands.

"Hold on just a second Inspector," Shizuka grabbed his arm to stop him.

He pulled to a stop, eyes curious as she jogged over to the group. Shizuka wasted no time in kneeling before Hana. She swung her backpack off her shoulder and pulled out her notebook.

"Hana-san," she greeted softly, scribbling the Kudo home phone number on the corner of a blank piece of paper. She tore it off quickly and offered it to her. "This is my home phone number. I might not always pick up or be able to get back to you in a timely manner but if you need to talk to someone I will do my best to meet up with you as soon as possible."

All three women stared down at her with wide eyes. Hana reached out a shaking hand to take the scrap of paper.

"Thank you," she sniffled.

Shizuka simply placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Anything I can do to help. My offer extends to the two of you as well should you need it," she nodded towards Yoko and Yuuko, making them both blink. "Goodnight Hana-san, Yoko-san, Yuuko-san."

"Goodnight," the two idols chorused. "And thank you."

Hana rubbed at her eyes once more. "Goodnight Detective-chan."

Shizuka beat a hasty retreat. She had almost rejected the idea of approaching them in the first place, but Avelia's words had given her the extra bit of courage she needed.

"Is everything alright Shizuka-san?" Megure looked worried.

Shizuka gave him a shaky smile, one that she was surprised to realize was perfectly genuine. "Yeah, I think it will be."

-00-

 **Next Day**

"Come on Conan-kun," Ran chirped happily as she closed the door behind them. "It's your first day of school! Aren't you at least a little excited?"

Conan laughed nervously, his dark blue backpack pulling lightly on his shoulders.

Ran kneeled down next to him. "You don't need to be nervous. I'm sure you'll make a lot of friends in no time!"

"…If you say so Ran-neesan," he smiled brightly while internally shouting. Why did he have to go back to elementary school?! He was a high schooler!

Ran grabbed his hand as they went down the steps, something that never failed to make him blush. It was very quiet in the neighborhood seeing as how it was only seven in the morning. Agasa never got up early unless he had to, an ideal shared by many of the neighbors, and Shizuka had gotten home even later than them so she wouldn't be-

"Oh! Good morning Shizuka!" Ran waved enthusiastically.

Conan looked over towards his house where Shizuka had opened one of the many windows on the second floor. He noted a few other windows around the house open as well.

Shizuka leaned out to get a better look at them, her hair looking like a bird's nest and a toothbrush hanging from her lips. He rolled his eyes when he noticed she was wearing her white and black-stripped shirt (and the matching pants no doubt) that reminded him of a prisoner's uniform. Those were her favorite pajamas; the irony always amused her.

Shizuka waved back at Ran and removed the toothbrush so she could speak clearly. "Mornin' Ran, Conan." Conan frowned at her slightly slurred greeting and the lack of honorifics. He couldn't see her face clearly due to how far away she was, but she sounded exhausted. "…Where you going?"

Ran pulled Conan forward with an elated grin. She was far more excited than the boy next to her. "It's Conan-kun's first day of school! Professor Agasa signed him up!"

Shizuka stared at them blankly for a good, long minute. "…Don't move."

"What?" Ran asked, but it was to late. Shizuka had disappeared inside the house.

Conan was getting a bad feeling about all of this. He tugged at Ran's hand worriedly.

"Ran-neesan, we should go! I'm going to be late!"

She looked at her watch in shock. "That's right! We should hurry-!"

The door to the Kudo household slammed open and Shizuka came running out wearing slippers far to large for her feet ( _"Are those mine?!")_ and a hastily thrown on jacket. Her camera was clutched tightly in her fingers, which only made Conan's dread grow.

"Hold on a second Ran-chan," she called, rushing over towards them. Now that they could get a good look at her (and her ridiculous outfit) they could see just how tangled and puffed up her hair was as well as the dark circles under her eyes.

 _"She couldn't have gotten home that late,"_ Conan thought with slight worry. _"Did something else happen?"_

"Shizuka, you look exhausted! Have you not been sleeping well?" Ran chided.

Shizuka waved away her concern with a bright, _shinning_ grin. "I just got home late, it won't happen again. What's really important here is…" she held up her camera, grin widening. "We need a commemorative photo!"

"No!" Shinichi cried at the exact same moment Ran cheered, "Yes!"

"Two against one, it's settled," Shizuka _giggled_ (and if that wasn't one of the most terrifying sounds he had ever heard he didn't know what was). "Let's go!"

"Wait, what?" They gapped at her.

She blinked at them. "Well we have to take his picture in front of the school, otherwise it won't be as fun- memorable."

Ran shifted uncertainly. "Um, Shizuka, are you sure you want to go somewhere like… that?"

"Like what?"

"Hahaha, you look just like a criminal!" Conan laughed loudly, pointing at her. "I bet the police would arrest you if they saw you!"

For the first time that morning Shizuka took in her appearance. "…I don't look that bad. Probably. Just one quick picture would do."

Ran sighed, and moved to nudge the girl back towards her house. "How about I take the picture when I drop him off?"

Shizuka was not pleased but she could see a losing battle for what it was. "What if we take one here and you can take one there as well?"

Ran thought about it. "I guess that would be okay. But it has to be a quick one!"

"Perfect," she whipped back around, camera at the ready. "Ran, you get in the picture too. Oh! You should pick him up so that I the picture is, you know, clearer. That would be even better."

Conan flinched in horror when Ran agreed. "That would be adorable!" she squealed.

"I know," Shizuka's smile was down right cruel.

"Hey!" Conan shouted when Ran grabbed him. "Put me down!"

"Aww, come on Conan-kun," Ran looked at him with wide, sad eyes. "It's just one picture."

Conan froze, unable to take the full force of her stare. "…F-fine. But only one!"

Ran grinned and hugged him to her chest. "Thank you Conan-kun! And don't forget to smile!"

Shizuka lifted the viewfinder to her eye, snickering at the deathly glare the six year old was giving her. "Now, now Conan-chan, you heard her. Smile!"

He had no choice. Not with his sister staring down at him (for once) and Ran holding him in place. Giving in, he gave the brightest grin he could while secretly planning various ways to murder his only sibling. He would be able to get away with it, no doubt.

"Perfect," Shizuka sighed happily, after checking to make sure the picture wasn't blurry. Her camera was rather bulky when she thought about it, but it was state of the art and she could change the lenses at will. It also allowed her to look over the pictures she had just taken to make sure they were up to her standards. It had been expensive on its own without the extra lenses but she adored it, and it was moments like this that made every penny worth it.

Conan just grumbled as Ran peered over her shoulder to get a look as well.

"Can I get a copy?" she wondered, grabbing Conan's hand once more.

"Absolutely," Shizuka nodded. "I'm planning on making quite a few copies, for the Edogawa family. I can always make a few more. Do you think Mouri-san would want one?"

Ran laughed. "No, I don't think so, but I can always ask him to be sure. We should really get going before Conan-kun is late and you should go back to bed!"

Shizuka shrugged noncommittally. "We'll see. Have a good day Conan-chan!"

He would have growled at her if Ran wasn't with him. Instead he waved rapidly, as children were want to do, and dragged Ran away as fast as he could.

"I knew you were excited about going to school," Ran nodded to herself.

Shizuka's smile grew smaller as she watched them. She brought her camera up once more and took a picture of their retreating figures. With the sun rising and painting the sky red she thought it was a beautiful image.

"Well," she muttered to herself once they were out of sight. "What should I do now?"

She scratched her head, hand getting caught in tangles. She was not up to the challenge of taming it, so she decided a shower was in order.

 _"Maybe I'll start a new book,"_ she hummed thoughtfully. She nodded to herself, decision made. " _I'll call Hana-san later as well. Ah, and Yoko-san too. I should also check how Yamagishi-san is holding up, he didn't look well when we left the hotel."_ She paused before shrugging. _"Might as well call Yuuko-san too. Other than that I guess I'll just… relax."_

Vague plans made she reentered home.

-00-

"That's very kind of you Hana-san," Shizuka spoke into the phone that was tucked into the crook of her ear. She was filling the rice cooker with water in order to prepare her breakfast.

"Oh, I just couldn't let her stay in that apartment. Not after-," there was a sharp exhale. "Well. Not after what happened."

"That doesn't make it any less kind. Is Yoko-san settling in well?"

"She's adjusting fairly well. It's so nice having someone else in the house after s-so long."

Shizuka frowned at the slight hitch in the voice on the other end of the line. "Hana-san, are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine. It's just that- just that-!"

Shizuka leaned against the counter, choosing to remain silent except for the occasional soothing word here and there. Hana continued to sob.

-00-

"No Yuuko-san, I don't really have the time to keep up to date on the latest pop culture trends."

"That is unacceptable! Have you been living underneath a rock?!"

Shizuka sighed as she made a few rice balls. "No, I've just been out of the country for a while and-"

"Ohhh, where did you go? Have you been to Paris? The have the most beautiful dresses there. Or England! Have you ever tried their fruit smoothies? They are simply amazing!"

Shizuka set the rice ball down so that she could grab the phone. Turning the speaker on and decreasing the volume she set it down on the counter and continued finishing her lunch as the idol chattered away. If talking was her outlet, then Shizuka was happy to pretend to listen.

-00-

Setting the plate down on the table Shizuka let out a long, weary sigh and adjusted the phone. "No Yamgishi-san, you don't need to come down to the station again. You've already given your statement, this has nothing to do with that. I just think you should see a therapist about what happened."

"A-a therapist? Do you really think that would help?"

"I do. I noticed you had some anxiety issues when we first met and I don't think keeping everything bottled in is going to help you in the least. Having someone to talk to can do wonders for the mind and I'm sure it would help you get through this."

There was a long stilted silence. "I see. I suppose I could give it a try. Do you have any recommendations?"

"I do actually."

-00-

 _"…Not here… not l-like this… do you understand me?"_

 _" I-I can't feel my body."_

 _"Winning that ticket was the b-best thing that ever happened t-to me. It b-brought me to you… and I'm thankful f-for that Rose."_

 _"Y-you- you must do me t-this honor. You must p-promise that you'll survive! T-that you won't give u-up! N-no matter what happens. No m-matter how h-hopeless… P-promise me Rose."_

"Just let him on the fucking raft!" Shizuka yelled, rubbing at her eyes. "There's room! At least give him the damned life jacket, he's the one in the water!"

She knew it was a mistake pulling out her hidden stash of movies. She had a (hidden with the sense of great paranoia) passion for sappy romances, both novelized and visual, so whenever she went to a foreign country she would load up on the genre from that particular culture. Her last visit had been to America and she had gotten a multitude of new materials. She had already finished reading one of the new novels (she had started it immediately after her phone calls), when she decided to complete the night with a movie called "The Titanic".

She was always embarrassed with how invested she became in this particular genre which is why she kept each and every trace of evidence locked away and hidden beneath the floorboards under her bed. She had to take extreme measures with her family, so she had long since threatened to dismember anyone that came into her room without permission. They laughed at her until the day she had managed to catch her mother snooping around and had proceeded to tie her to a chair and draw on her face with permanent marker (not a cruel punishment, really, but Yukiko had been horrified). Then came Shinichi, whose curiosity had been peaked. Shizuka turned all of his clothes pink and stitched "I Love Mouri Ran" onto the backs of his jackets. She almost didn't catch her father in time, which made his punishment all the worse. She had called all of his publishers and editors, inviting them over to the house for dinner and giving them his new phone number. They never approached her room again, and her hidden addiction remained a secret.

 _"Jack…Jack! T-there's a boat…Jack…"_

"Noooo," Shizuka squeezed the pillow she was holding tightly. She was on the main floor, bundled up in a pile of blankets on the couch. "Jack, wake up!"

A sharp ringing sound made her jump. Realizing it was the phone she struggled to hit the pause button on the remote as she fought against the blankets. Leaning over to her left she managed to snatch the phone off the table.

She cleared her throat before answering. "Hello?"

"Shizuka-san?" Megure's voice replied.

She sighed. "Yes. How can I help you Inspector?"

"I've already called the Mouri's but I knew you would probably like to know as well. I've got Conan-kun and his friends with me down at the station right now."

Her brother had friends? No, more importantly-

"…Why?"

There was a bit of shuffling on the other end of the line. "I'm afraid they got caught up in the Maple Leaf case. Thankfully, they are all unharmed and they actually managed to knock out the robbers before anything happened. We were able to catch them because of that."

Shizuka wracked her brain, trying to remember. She vaguely recalled hearing about the leader of a robbery group being arrested and that they were still looking for his partners as well as the golden coins they had stolen.

"I see," she pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'll ask for the full story when I see them. Is anyone coming to pick them up right now?"

"Ah, Mouri-kun and his daughter should be here any minute now. I just thought you would like to know what happened."

"Thanks Inspector, I'm glad you called to tell me. I'll head over to Mouri-san's house to wait for them."

"Alright. Sorry for interrupting your day off."

"Don't worry about it, it wasn't your fault." It was her idiot brother's.

After hanging up the phone she quickly threw her hair up into a ponytail and moved to grab her shoes. She would have to finish the movie afterwards. Once she was at least presentable she left her house to go wait on the front step of the Detective Agency.

It didn't take long for the ragtag group to arrive. Kogoro was leading the pack, his angry lecture bouncing off the houses loudly. Four children were walking directly behind him, looking down at the ground with Ran taking up the rear.

"Welcome back," she deadpanned, stepping to the side so Kogoro could open the door. The man paused in his rant to stare at her.

"What are you doing here?" he grumbled. He had yet to decided if he liked her or not, and her relation to the 'detective brat' didn't help things.

"I heard about what happened," she explained. "I wanted to see if everyone was alright and I also wanted to hear the whole story."

"Hmph. Whatever."

The kids were all looking at her in curiosity. Well, all of them except Conan who was still annoyed with her from that morning. It was quite the odd group of children.

The two boys of the group seemed like complete opposites. One was very bulky, with dark skin and shaved black hair (what were those odd little circular marks in his hair?) while the other boy was very skinny and pale with short brown hair that framed his face. Admittedly their dressing styles were fairly similar, seeing as how they both wore sweaters (the bigger boy wore a dark green one while the shorter one wore a blue one) but that was a far as any resemblance went.

The other child was a girl with short brown hair pulled back by a light pink headband. She had on a light red blazer with yellow lining the white collar and yellow shorts. She was quite the adorable little girl.

Shizuka found it amusing how her brother was shorter than all of them. Now he new how she felt.

Ran approached her looking confused. "How did you know what happened?"

"Inspector Megure called," Shizuka shrugged, waiting for everyone to enter the agency before she did. "He told me you two were going to pick them up so I decided to wait here."

Ran smacked her forehead. "I completely forgot to get you as we left, I'm sorry."

"It was probably best that you didn't," Shizuka muttered under her breath. She didn't want to think about what might have happened if Ran had suddenly burst in when she had been throwing bits of rice from her dinner at the TV in outrage.

"The brats are all yours," Kogoro called, escaping to the upper floor.

Ran just shook her head as she turned to the children. "Alright. Now I want you to tell me exactly what happened."

Shizuka wasn't even surprised when they started talking about decoding a treasure map and exploring the shopping district. Shinichi had always been taken in by riddles, he wouldn't have been able to help himself. What did surprise her was that he had done so with this little group in tow.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Ran smiled at them, making the children grin proudly. "You figured out the code! And with those thieves, knocking them out with their own gold! That was very smart of you!"

"I-I caught them!" The large boy boasted grandly.

"And I perfectly deduced the code!" the scrawnier one pointed at himself with glee.

Shizuka snorted at the blank look her brother was sending the two boys.

"That's not right!" the girl pushed the boys to the side so that Ran's attention was on her before waving her arms towards Conan. "The one who solved the code and caught those thieves was Conan-kun! He was so cool!"

"Eh?" Ran sent him an impressed look, which made him blush slightly.

"Oh~?" Shizuka's attention was on the cheerful girl.

"Conan-kun?" said girl called, skipping over towards him. When Conan turned to face her she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Thank you!"

While the boys (especially Conan after seeing Ran's cheerful expression) were horrified, Shizuka was greatly entertained. She grabbed her smaller camera from her pants pocket (the more expensive one was safely at home) and snapped a quick picture.

"Congratulations Conan-kun," Ran giggled. "You've got yourself a cute girlfriend!"

"No!" Conan shook his head desperately even as the girl hung on him. "I-it's not what it looks like!"

"Aw, he's blushing," Shizuka smirked.

"You don't understand!"

Shizuka and Ran just laughed.

"By the way," Shizuka managed to get out, "who are your friends Conan-chan? I don't think I managed to get their names."

The three unknown children rushed up to her, completely forgetting about what had happened.

"My name is Ayumi!"

"My name is Mitsuhiko, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

"I'm Genta!"

Shizuka blinked as they all spoke at once. She sent Conan an amused stare before bending down to their level.

"It's nice to meet you Ayumi-chan, Mitsuhiko-chan, and Genta-chan," she offered her hand which Ayumi took up happily.

"Chan?" Genta and Mitsuhiko grumbled.

Shizuka smiled. "My name is Kudo Shizuka."

The two boys smirked. "Then you'll be Shizuka- _chan!"_

"Alright," she agreed readily, which made them deflate a bit. "You four had quite the adventure today, though I don't think your parents are going to be to pleased."

Ran nodded along with her. "That's right. They're coming to get you right now and what you did today was very dangerous."

"Awww," they all moaned.

Shizuka just shook her head and stood up. "Still, good job on catching the bad guys. You did very well."

"It was nothing for the Detective Boys!" Ayumi cheered, the boys rallying behind her.

"The what?" Ran and her stared down at them.

"It's who we are," Mitsuhiko explained happily. "Today marked the day of our first case!"

"I… see."

"Well," Shizuka nodded, "it sounds interesting. Why don't you three tell Ran-neesan all about it while I talk to Conan-chan for just a moment?"

Ran sent her a questioning look and Shizuka offered a small smile. Later she would tell her that Conan's parents had wanted her to tell him how worried they were that he had gotten involved with the robbers.

As the three animatedly described what they were ("We solve crimes!" "Like murders!" "And missing food!") she pulled Conan off to the side.

"I like them. They're cute."

Shinichi just sighed and crossed his arms. "We got lucky this time. I can't let them get involved with anymore cases."

Shizuka raised an eyebrow at the group. "Well, judging from how excited they are, they'll probably go looking for trouble. And having a group of friends your age is a good idea if you don't want to draw attention to yourself. It's normal for kids to go to school and have friends. It isn't normal for them to show up at crime scenes all the time and solve murders. As long as you are with them then I am sure you will be able to keep them out of trouble and it will make a better cover for you. Besides, they seem like fun. At least you won't be bored all the time."

"I guess," he trailed off. "Have you gotten anything about Kazimir yet?"

The air around them turned solemn. "No. I read through all of the files earlier but there is nothing connecting him to the men in black. At least not yet."

"Damn," he cursed.

Shizuka ruffled his hair, making him squawk in indignation. "Relax. It's barely been a week since this all started. If we keep running full force we're going to make mistakes that we can't afford. This is the kind of case that needs to be taken slow."

Shinichi new she was right, but he wasn't the one who liked undercover jobs. Shizuka was used to being someone else for extended periods of time, he wasn't. He didn't like it either.

"Don't worry," Shizuka nudged his shoulder. "We'll get them. Sometimes you just need to take a step back and let your mind rest before you can find the answer."

"I don't like waiting," Shinichi clenched his fists.

Shizuka grabbed one of his hands and forced him to relax his fingers. "It can be hard at times, but rushing never helped anyone."

"Then what do you suggest I do?!" he snapped. They had to move further away from the group so they didn't hear his outburst.

Shizuka thought about it. She wanted to rush into things just as much as Shinichi did. She wanted to destroy the bastards that did this to him and she wanted to do it as soon as possible. But running themselves ragged would only hurt them in the end. They couldn't catch criminals on fumes, and one mistake could be all it took to get them all killed.

"Sometimes," she lifted his hand between them. "Sometimes you just need to take a day off. Let your mind rest and allow your body to catch up. It might be hard for you to do, but whenever you get the chance you need to relax. Save your strength and bide your time."

Before he could reply there was a furious knock on the door. They moved away from each other when Ran went to answer it and the kids barreled over to them in order to hide behind Conan.

Shizuka hoped he would listen to her. It was so easy to forget that the body had limits. They weren't always visible, but they could strike you down at the worst of times. Even after all of these years she had forgotten in the chaos of everything that had happened. If Avelia hadn't given her the day off she might not have realized it until to late.

" _Great,"_ she realized. _"I'm actually going to have to thank him for his mothering… maybe I'll just get him a fruit basket or something."_

 **Aaaannnddd, I'm going to end it there. Hope you guys liked it! I'm still trying to plan out the next few chapters based on the anime or the mange. The cruise line murder and the bullet train bomb are being especially difficult. Should Shizuka go on the cruise with them? Why would she even be there? Same for the train, not to mention the manga has Gin and Vodka show up while the anime has two random guys that just 'kind of look like them'. It doesn't help that they mix around with the order of the cases. Bah. Anyways I hope you guys like this chapter.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Remember when I said that the chapter length would depend on the length of the case? Yeah, that was a complete lie. The next case is actually one of the shortest cases in the entire series and I have some how managed to make it the longest chapter yet. I'm still not done writing it and the actual canon case isn't brought up until the very end so I've decided to cut the chapter in half. This first half is everything that happens before the "Perfect Alibi" case (which is the next case in the manga). Think of it as a filler if you want. I'm almost done with the final half, which I will post as soon as I can (probably tomorrow). Anyway, here is a lot of what I've got so far.**

 **MidoriEmerald13: I'm glad you liked it so much! I tried to make the Fujie scene as realistic as possible. Mama Fujie will probably make some more reappearances in the future, but I haven't planned too far yet. And as detectives, I'm sure they know a million and one ways to kill each other and get away with it, haha. Thanks for another great review!**

 **turquoise ninja 012: I shall! I shall write till the end of my days! I'm glad you liked her hidden obsession with 'sappy' romance, it is always entertaining to think and write about :) Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Amaranthais: I am touched that you like my story even though it has an OC! As a heads up, there are a few more of them in this chapter that will be showing up frequently, so I hope they don't turn you away. I just needed more people as part of Megure's team and they popped into my head. And I myself am looking forward to her reactions with the rest of the Detective Conan cast! It is going to be so much fun! Thank you for the wonderful review!**

 **JarayZ: Haha, well here is another 'short' chapter for you (remember, it was originally going to be even longer)! In my mind's eye, Shizuka is a naturally cold person on the outside but extraordinarily caring. She hates interacting with people but if she sees a way to help with practically anything she will without hesitation (much like Avelia, though he is far more open about it). I loved the idea of her having prisoner pajamas, I just couldn't help myself ;). If you ask for the manga version, so shall it be! I was still flip flopping between the two, so that helped me decided. She is very,** _ **very**_ **determined to keep her love of the romantics a secret :). Thanks for the lovely review, it made me smile!**

 **908-03: Your review is impressive in terms of length! It made me extraordinarily happy (I'll admit, I'm a review hog. I simply can't help myself). And trust me, Shizuka is definitely an adrenaline junkie, just in a far different way than Shinichi (who I totally agree with you about. In the beginning of Detective Conan he's kind of a brat). She is just more of the 'adrenaline pumping, high speed chase, death defying acts' type of person. It makes her feel alive. Avelia is a big old worrywart when it comes to his subordinates and Shizuka was one of the youngest he ever had. I always kind of thought of Agasa (and later on Kogoro in a way) as a father figure for Shinichi since Yusaku was gone all of the time. The same is for Avelia to Shizuka. He is very protective of his people and especially Shizuka because he believes she doesn't really have anyone else looking out for her (which is kind of true). He insisted because Shizuka has a habit of getting into trouble and it was around one in the morning at the time. Hope I cleared that up alright. As for the humor, I love dramatic comedies, so I always try to lighten the darker stuff up with humor without taking away the emotions behind it. Life if full of both after all. The romance will definitely play a part in the future, but I'm not sure who should find out first. Avoiding spoilers for canon, can you imagine Shizuka and Subaru Okiya watching romance movies in their off time? The image makes me fall over, cackling like mad! In response to the Ran-neesan instead of chan… Dang it! Don't worry, I'll make sure not to make that mistake again. Thank you for pointing it out! Thank you as well (especially) for the amazingly fantastic review. Your feedback was very helpful!**

 **On with the next chapter! Hope you enjoy!**

 **-00-**

 **Chapter 7: Hunter Vs. Ninja**

 **-00-**

Shizuka loitered around the gate in front of Teitan elementary school. Ran had karate practice and couldn't pick up Conan so she had volunteered to go. She was on her lunch break anyway, and the station had been feeling far to crowded.

It had only been a few days since her day off and somehow in that time she had managed to go from being avoided by most of the force unless absolutely necessary (she still didn't know why but she wasn't complaining) to being followed around and constantly questioned.

Apparently Megure had made a good impression on the newbies that had come in the day she was gone and they had come to him for advice. Megure had been too busy at the time to answer any questions so he directed them to speak his consultant. He later told her it was supposed to be a valuable learning experience for her, to which she replied, "Bullshit. I know you just want me to keep them out of your hair so you can get out of here faster."

She was starting to get quite comfortable working with the detective, either due to her starter attempts at friendliness, his amiable personality, or a mixture of both. Either way, she was feeling comfortable enough around him to let loose a bit more. She still played the innocent card often enough, but more and more sarcasm and sharp words were beginning to filter into their conversations.

Shizuka only acted that way around Megure, however. When dealing with anyone else on the force she was 'nice and sociable' with a penchant for being in the right place at the right time. Which of course meant that when a herd of unfamiliar greenies surrounded her she had to play the part.

It started out as well as she had expected it to. Shizuka was very aware of how people saw her. She was small, painfully so, and she looked as though she would barely be able to move a rock with how flimsy her arms and legs appeared. Shinichi and her had gotten their mother's lighter bone structure, but her brother had the added benefit of his height. She didn't _look_ younger than she was, but her height and stature made people believe she was just a kid.

This is why the rather poor and shocked reactions of the newcomers did not surprise her in the least.

 _"You're the consultant?" one of the five gapped at her. Three of them were men while the other two were women. The one that had spoken first was the tallest of the group; a young looking, brown haired man with dark brown eyes. "But you're just a kid!"_

 _One of the girls, the one with the blue eyes and long brown hair, elbowed him in the stomach. "Nathan!" she hissed._

 _Shizuka simply looked them over with a confused smile, doing her level best not to allow her face to twitch. She was seated at one of the tables in the office area, going over the most recent files on the Kazimir case. The papers were spread out before her and she had been just about to write down some side notes when they had approached her. "You must be the newcomers I've heard so much about. Is there something I can help you with?"_

 _They all gave her varying levels of uncertainty. She figured they were all around their early twenties, and they seemed comfortable around each other. Academy buddies?_

 _"Uh, maybe," the other man, this time with shaggy black hair and narrow brown eyes, rubbed the back of his head. "We were told that we would be accompanying Inspector Megure on cases in order to gain experience and we were wondering what to expect."_

 _"…You're what?"_

 _"This is pointless," the second woman rolled her eyes. She had sharp green eyes and black hair tied up into a tight bun. "I'm sorry, but we really need to speak with someone who has a little more experience than you do."_

 _Shizuka stared at her, sighing internally. "Rest assured Hazuki-san I have had years of experience working with the department and dealing with cases." The woman blinked in shock at the use of her name. They had yet to introduce themselves. "I was simply surprised to hear you would be joining us on what is sure to be a regular basis. Was it Avelia who decided on this?"_

 _The final member of the group stepped forward. He was just a few inches taller than Shizuka, which made it easier for her to look him in the eye. "T-the Chief told us himself," he stuttered nervously, twisting his hands together. His slightly long red hair shadowed light blue eyes and freckles were spattered across his nose and high cheekbones. He looked younger than the rest of them, perhaps even younger than Shizuka._

 _"Of course," Shizuka let out a little huff of air. "Well, the Inspector deals with whatever case he is needed on. He is one of the best detectives of Division One so his skills are usually in high demand. Any incoming calls often go through him first, which gives him quite the caseload. A lot of his cases deal with robberies and murders, so if you are not used to seeing blood and dead bodies I would suggest preparing yourself ahead of time in case of nausea and dizziness. Seeing as how the five of you are new you will most likely be in charge of crowd control, securing the scene, and gathering witness statements. There will be senior officers on the scene if you are not sure what to do and I would be happy to help in gathering statements until you get the hang of it, just be sure to go to whoever your assigned senior officer is first."_

 _They seemed shocked at the sudden information, eyes glued on her as she listed off what she thought was important._

 _"Inspector doesn't like idiotic mistakes so if you aren't sure what you are supposed to be doing or how you are supposed to do it then ask. Don't feel embarrassed or ashamed, everyone will understand and they will be much happier if you ask before you possibly mess up something important. Mistakes happen all of the time, but you should do whatever you can to decrease the rate at which they happen. You should also have a spare uniform ready for you in the lockers. You never know what could happen and you'll be grateful to have a change of clothes when you are covered in trash or blood."_

 _Shizuka tapped her chin with her pen. She had never been in their shoes and there was little chance that they would be doing things the way she did. All she really had to go on was common sense and what she had seen other officers do during cases._

 _"Do not be surprised if you are asked to help gather evidence. As you start out it may be hard to differentiate between what is evidence and what is not, they can often be the oddest of things, but rest assured that as time passes you will get better at it. You are very fortunate and unfortunate to be assigned to the Inspector. He is constantly moving from case to case, which will give you a lot of experience, but it will also be stressful and you won't have much time to relax until you get into the swing of things. You will often miss meals due to the erratic schedule so I would suggest keeping a few snacks on you and eating whenever you get the chance. Always bring a water bottle with you as well. You can clip it onto your belt for easy access." Shizuka tilted her head. "I think that covers the basics at least. There isn't much I can tell you until we are on the field but I will do my best to answer any other questions you have."_

 _Shizuka folded her hands underneath her chin as she waited for all of the information to process. Just as they were starting to regain their bearings Megure rushed out of his office._

 _"Shizuka-san," he called, tugging his jacket on._

 _She stood up quickly, shuffling all of the papers she had been going over back into their file. Tucking it into her backpack she pulled the straps over her shoulders and motioned for the group to get moving._

 _"You should have gotten your senior partners already. Find them and they will take you to the scene."_

 _Once she had turned away from them, Megure just ahead of her, she allowed herself to scowl. This was going to be annoying._

And annoying it was.

Shizuka rubbed at her temples angrily. The entire morning had been filled with far to many questions and irritants. She wouldn't have minded answering their questions if they were actually asking to learn (only the dark haired boy and the brown haired girl seemed truly curious) but most of the questions seemed to be purely to test her own abilities. Hazuki Natsuki had already made a poor impression, but Shizuka could forgive her for questioning her experience.

At first.

There were only so many condescending questions Shizuka could take before she dropkicked the woman and her brown haired friend. The other three she could deal with (the ginger one avoided talking to anyone like the plague) but those two grated on her nerves and reminded her of why exactly she hated dealing with people.

Still, she had long since learned that people tended to target her if she got angry with them. If she could keep up the approachable demeanor then the idiots would eventually lose interest. If she let them get to her then they would keep coming back. It was just easier to be the amiable coworker that never picked fights unless it was necessary. If they didn't leave her alone after a week she would change tactics and scare them away instead. She hadn't used her phone tazer in weeks.

"Ugh," Shizuka rolled her shoulders. Thankfully, before she could get lost any further in her thoughts, a loud cheer drew her attention away from the sky and towards the small soccer fields just outside the school.

There was a mock game going on between what looked like a group of first graders. Shizuka assumed they had just had gym before school had gotten out because they were all still wearing their gym uniforms. A familiar cowlick caught her attention immediately.

Conan was dribbling the ball skillfully, kicking it up in the air so that he could bounce it atop his head. A small gaggle of girls cheered him on excitedly. Shizuka smirked and snapped a picture. Her darling little brother was such a lady-killer.

Conan dropped the ball back on the ground and rushed towards the goal. Shizuka felt her eyebrow rise when he stopped a fair distance away and bent down to mess with his shoes.

 _"What is he doing?"_

Conan suddenly grinned. His shoes let off an odd little spark as he pulled his foot back. The grin fell off his face to be replaced with shock when, after hitting the ball with all of his strength, it shot through the air like a bullet and flew past the small goalie's head. Shizuka felt her mouth drop open as it tore straight through the net and slammed harshly into a tree behind it, leaving a sizeable dent in the wood.

The field fell into complete silence until the child the ball had almost hit started bawling.

"W-what on earth?!" the young female teacher shrieked.

Conan jumped up and stared at his shoes in shock. "Uh," he muttered. Taking in the shocked expressions of everyone around him he scrambled for an excuse.

The teacher rushed over, gathering all of the children away from the tree.

"T-the net must have had a hole there," she reasoned, trying to think of what could have possibly caused such damage. "A-and that tree is very old…"

Conan was perfectly content to let her form her own conclusions as long as they didn't turn against him somehow. He laughed hollowly, turning his head away. His eyes grew wide when he spotted the familiar figure by the gate.

"Shizuka?!"

She looked at him and the tree respectively, mouth wide open.

Conan grabbed his bag quickly and waved goodbye to the teacher, who could only wave back in a daze. He jogged up to his sister, an amused smile breaking through at her dumbfounded expression.

"…Are you taking steroids?" she asked him seriously, eyes glued to the tree he had hit.

"What?" he scowled at her. "No! Professor made these for me. They're supposed to strengthen my kicks so I can defend myself but he obviously has no idea how to use moderation."

"I'll say," Shizuka shook her head in disbelief. "That kind of power could seriously hurt someone."

Shinichi nodded, but he couldn't help but feel overjoyed. With his super powered shoes he would actually be able to take care of himself. He wasn't just a wimpy kid that couldn't do anything.

Shizuka tugged at the end of her ponytail, attempting to dispel the image of her brother running through the city and attacking criminals with overinflated soccer balls. "You're lucky I was the one to pick you up, I can only imagine what Ran-chan would have thought."

Shinichi shuddered. "I'll be careful not to use them in front of her. And you didn't have to come get me, I can walk back just fine on my own."

Shaking her head to push away what had just happened Shizuka tucked her hands in her pockets. "I know, I just needed an excuse to get out of the station. Besides, I'm hungry and we haven't had lunch together in months."

Shinichi stared at her skeptically before movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.

Kogoro was standing just across the street, leaning against the wall with a newspaper in hand. Instead of reading it, though, his gaze was focused on something down the street.

"Did you not tell him you were coming by?" Shinichi wondered. He couldn't see Kogoro coming to pick him up, but Ran might have threatened him.

"I called and left a message just in case," Shizuka shrugged.

"Might as well tell him to head home," he muttered. Pasting a bright grin on his face he waved his arm wildly. "Oji-chan!"

Kogoro flinched violently as they walked towards them, eyes wide. "Shh! Shhh!" he flailed.

The Kudo siblings paused, tilting their heads in confusion. Their eyes drifted to the side where a man was making his was down the street. Kogoro had been staring at him when they saw him.

"Are you shadowing that guy?" Conan pointed at the stranger. Shizuka almost smacked him on the back of his head. You don't point out someone being followed, not if you didn't want them to know they were being followed.

"What if he hears you?!" Kogoro growled. He turned to Shizuka. "You're both bothering me, just take the brat home! And brat! Tell Ran I'll be home late so don't bother making dinner for me!"

They both snorted as he moved to follow the man once more and tripped over a trashcan in his haste.

"The master of stealth," Shizuka muttered, ushering Conan away.

Shinichi chuckled. "Well, if he wants to spend his whole day doing that then he can go right ahead. I'll have the apartment to myself."

"After we get lunch of course," Shizuka stated.

"Sure," he agreed easily. "I forgot how early lunch was in elementary school. I'm starving."

"Then lets go."

The two chatted amiably as they walked down the street. Shizuka belatedly wondered how that poor teacher was going to explain the beaten tree and torn net.

-00-

"Ah, there you are Shizuka-san!" Megure greeted her the moment she returned. One of the new officers was next to him, juggling a pile of folders. Shizuka was relieved to notice it was the nicer girl with the long brown hair.

"Inspector," Shizuka nodded and lifted up the box in her hands. "I brought dumplings."

"Oh~!" his eyes lit up as she walked over and set it down on his desk. "Thank you Shizuka-san!"

"No problem. Anything happen while I was gone?"

Megure already had one of the slightly steaming dumplings in his mouth. "Just a false alarm. A young college student thought someone had died but it turned out they had just taken some medicine that made them drowsy and hard to wake up."

Shizuka rolled her eyes. She honestly wondered why schools never taught students how to check for pulses and how to do CPR when they were such important things to know in cases of emergencies. It wouldn't even take long, one class a month and she was sure the information would stick.

"Not much then," she said simply, returning to her usual post at the small table off to the side of his office. There were still a few more files she needed to go over for the Kazimir case before she could move on to ground work.

Megure simply nodded, munching on the dumplings at a quick pace. Shizuka had been able to escape for lunch, he hadn't. "I need to finish my case reports but the witness statements and evidence haven't been organized yet. Would you mind walking Toyama-san through the steps until she gets the hang of it?"

Shizuka looked over at the struggling officer and shrugged. She could multitask.

Toyama Kiyo sighed in relief and hurried to join her at the table. Shizuka scooted her chair to the side as the taller girl snatched a chair and plopped down in it. She dropped the files onto the table and stretched her arms out to relieve the kinks.

"Thanks!" she chirped. "I know we probably got off on the wrong foot this morning. Sorry about that."

Shizuka stared at her, not expecting the apology. "…It's fine. It happens all of the time. Besides, you never actually spoke against me so you have no reason to apologize."

Kiyo grinned and held her hand out. "Yeah, but I was pretty much thinking the same things so I'm still in the wrong. Can we start over?"

Shizuka grabbed the girl's hand in pleasant surprise. "That sounds fine. I don't think I ever officially introduced myself. My name is Kudo Shizuka, it is a pleasure to meet you."

Kiyo's eyes went wide but she didn't hesitate to follow through with an enthusiastic handshake. "Toyama Kiyo, but you can just call me Toki, everyone does eventually. It's nice to meet you too Kudo-senpai!"

Shizuka twitched. "Just Shizuka is fine."

"Alright Shizuka-senpai!"

Shizuka deadpanned, not sure what to think of the energetic girl. Now that she got a better look at her, and they weren't rushing around from case to case, she realized she barely came up to Toki's shoulder. She was very skinny, the standard police uniform hanging off her frame. Her blue eyes were very bright, almost startlingly so and there was a light dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose.

"What would you like to start on first?" Shizuka gestured to the pile of files.

"Hmmm," Toki tapped her chin with her index finger. "Witness statements? There are a lot more of those."

"Alright," Shizuka nodded, pulling the file on top towards them. All of them were color coded along the spines so that it was easy to tell what the contents held. "Right now all you need to do is make a copy of the statements from the notes other officers took at the scene. Try to put them in order and then organize them with the written statements from the witness themselves. Once you are done with that all you need to do is make sure they are all in the appropriate file, you can see the name on the inside cover, and place them in the basket on Inspector Megure's desk. The blue one. Someone will come by later to take them to Tech so we can get electronic copies as well. You might be assigned down there another time and it will basically be the same job just with a computer. Try to write as legibly as possible."

Toki was nodding her head, expression focused. Once Shizuka was done explaining she saluted her. "Alright! I'll finish this in no time!"

"Good luck with that," Shizuka shook her head. The job was far more time consuming than most believed and it gave the most terrible hand cramps. While Toki began to work she pulled out her own files and started to take notes. Every few minutes Shizuka would glance over the new girl's work to make sure she was doing it right. She felt a twinge of jealousy at the graceful handwriting appearing on the papers. Her own often resembled chicken scratch and she had to focus very hard to make it readable.

Megure was at his own desk, finishing off the last of the dumplings as he worked. He glanced up at the two women and smiled triumphantly. Avelia had asked him to try to get Shizuka to interact with the new comers so they could get on friendly terms with one another. The morning had been a disaster, but it seemed things were working out better now.

Nearly an hour later Toki dropped the pen and shook her hand with a slightly pained sigh.

Shizuka glanced up, concentration broken. "Hand cramp?"

"Yes," she whined. "I'm guessing this is going to happen a lot?"

"You'll get used to it."

"Ugh."

Shizuka just shrugged. It was the truth. "Just massage you hand for a few minutes and stretch it out. It'll feel better."

"Okay," Toki nodded sharply, as though she had just been given an order. She stared at her hand intently as she began to clench and unclench it.

Shizuka shook her head and returned to her files. She wasn't seeing anything in Kazimir's files that could be connected to the men in black. She new he had given them a large sum of money but nothing in his personal or company accounts showed where exactly that money had come from. She was sure it most likely came from the funds he got from smuggling weapons but there was no evidence of any outlying bank accounts. Nothing on paper was giving her what she needed.

"Inspector," Shizuka called, closing the file with a defeated sigh.

"Hmm?" he paused, looking over at her. "What is it Shizuka-san?"

"I most likely won't be coming in this weekend. I need more information on another case so I'm going to try visiting the scenes myself. Are you going to need me at any point?"

Megure scratched at his chin in thought. "I don't think so. We don't have any long-term cases right now so it should just be a typical weekend. As long as you keep your phone on you just in case it should be fine. I'll call you if you are needed."

"Thank you," Shizuka bowed her head slightly. As Megure turned back to his work she decided to look over everything Toki had done so far. When she turned to look at her, Toki was doing a poor job of hiding her curious glances. "Is something wrong Toki-san?"

"Toki-chan is fine!" she immediately corrected before a sheepish smile broke out across her face. "Uh, I was just a little curious. Do you choose what days you come in on Senpai?"

Shizuka shook her hand from side to side. "Kind of. I'm expected to come in every day Inspector Megure does but as long as I inform him and Avelia ahead of time I can take extra days off. I'm a consultant so my schedule is a bit different from others."

Toki suddenly leaned forward, making Shizuka lean back. "But you're working on a case on your own?"

"Uh, yes?"

Shizuka really didn't like the sudden sparkle in the other girl's eyes.

"So the you really are _Kudo_ Shizuka? Like _the_ Kudo Shizuka? As in daughter of Kudo Yusaku and Yukiko? Sister of Kudo Shinichi?"

Shizuka felt completely justified in staring at her like she had just grown an extra head. _"…Please don't be one of mom or dad's crazed fans,"_ she prayed desperately. Out loud she simply agreed. "That would be me, yes."

Toki suddenly jumped up, letting out a high-pitched squeal. Megure coughed loudly, making her blush.

"Sorry Inspector," she bowed and took her seat once more.

Under the man's careful eye she picked up her pen and went straight back to work on the files. Megure gave Shizuka a questioning look but she simply shrugged unsurely. He decided to leave whatever situation had popped up to Shizuka.

"What was that about?" Shizuka wondered as Megure refocused on his work.

Toki glanced at Megure from the corner of her eye before leaning in once more. Shizuka was impressed when she continued to write accurately at the same time. "Are you kidding me? You are _Kudo Shizuka!"_

"You don't say," she allowed the sarcastic quip to slip through.

"You and your brother are practically _legends_ ," Toki was jumping slightly in her chair. "Every one knows you two! Well, everyone in the legal force at least. I mean, your brother is the great Detective of the East! And you! You're the Hunter!"

Shizuka did a double take. "I'm the _what_?"

Toki didn't appear to hear her, too lost in her own world. "Man, they are gonna feel like such idiots! I mean, we never expected we'd get to work with anyone in the Kudo family. You guys are like lone wolves that only appear when someone turns on the Bat Signal!"

Shizuka was dumbfounded. Was this one of the rumors Megure had mentioned? "What the hell are you talking about?"

Their conversation was cut short by the shrill ring of the phone. Megure answered it quickly, face growing dark. "I'm on my way. Shizuka-san, lets go!"

Shizuka packed her things away quickly, eyes never leaving Toki as she did so. The other girl was stacking the files together as fast as possible.

"I've got to tell the others!" she cried, finally finishing. She dashed out of the office as Shizuka moved to follow Megure.

" _What the hell just happened?"_

-00-

"Inspector," Shizuka fastened her seatbelt once she was in the car.

"Yes?"

"Do you know if anyone calls me the… the Hunter?"

"Ah, yes, if I remember correctly that is what the younger officers on the force have taken to calling you."

"…Why?"

"Hmm, I think they said something about camouflage and 'tracking your prey'. They have quite the analogy going as I recall. I never really understood it. Everyone else just thinks of you as a modern day ninja."

"What?"

"Ahahaha, don't worry about it Shizuka-san. Either name people use, they are meant in a good way."

Shizuka looked forward with a dumbfounded expression. Why was this the first time she was hearing about all of this?

-00-

Shizuka wasn't really surprised when the man made a break for it. More than %75 of the criminals she met tended to run the moment they realized they had been or would be found guilty. Still, it was the first runner that day and he was much bigger than the usual murderers she dealt with. He was almost as big as Avelia and he was desperate to get away, which was never a good combination. It didn't help that they were standing outside with a crowd just past the barricade.

Shizuka dropped her backpack and shoved her camera into the nearest person's hands, praying that whoever it was wouldn't break it in any way. She grabbed a baton out of one of the many officers' hands as she ran past, the surprised squeak making her realize it was Toki.

"Barrowing this," she called back as her way of apology.

She shot towards the bulky man, pushing her legs to move faster before he reached the crowd. Two officers were standing just in front of it, but she recognized them as Hazuki Natsuki and Miura Tetsu, two of the newcomers from that morning. Natsuki had reacted quickly for a newbie and she already had her baton out and at the ready, but her stance was off and Shizuka had no doubt the man would plow through her without a second thought. Tetsu, the scrawny red head that he was, was looking around for anything he could use to stop the escapee, which Shizuka commended, but there was nothing within arms reach that would help them.

Pushing herself even harder, Shizuka dove forward the moment she was within just a few feet of the man. She timed his steps and shoved the baton through between his ankles. His feet locked awkwardly around the baton and he fell forward, smashing into the ground. Shizuka wasted no time in flipping onto his back and twisting his arms behind him. She made sure to leverage herself so that she could fight against his strength if he tried to break free.

For a moment she was worried that she had left her handcuffs in her bag, but she didn't have to worry for long as Tetsu appeared next to her with a pair of his own. He helped her hold the murderer down, cuffing his wrists as quickly as possible.

"You have the right to remain silent," Tetsu barked coldly, far different from the nervous mess Shizuka had met that morning. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

The man bucked underneath them and Shizuka felt her patience snap. She reached forward and grabbed his ear, twisting it harshly so that his face scraped against the concrete as it turned to the side where he would be able to see her.

"You either shut up and stay still or I put a bullet through your legs to make sure you can't run anymore," she growled mercilessly.  
"Ha!" he barked, but his face grew paler. "You can't do that, you're a cop!"

"No, I'm not," she hissed, eyes narrowing so that only a sliver of sharp blue could be seen. "And you just killed a mother of two because she _wouldn't go out with you_. I'm far more tempted to shoot you a little higher than your legs if you push me any further."

He opened his mouth to speak but she twisted his ear even further.

 _"Be. Quiet. And. Stay. Still."_

When he grew still she gave his ear one last warning twist before letting go and leaning back. Megure was at their side in an instant, a few more officers at his back, to help contain the man.

"He's all yours Inspector," she moved out of his way, grabbing Tetsu by the arm and pulling him with her. It was best to let the senior officers deal with the lunatic in case he decided to fight back again.

Once they were an acceptable ways away she let go of him and massaged her shoulder. The baton had almost been ripped out of her hand when she had tripped the asshole and her arm was already sore.

"U-uh," Tetsu muttered, his hands twisting together nervously. "W-where you really g-going to s-shoot him?"

Shizuka laughed slightly. "No. We already had him down, there wasn't really any need. I would have just tazed him if he didn't shut up, but that wears down the battery on my phone really fast so I decided a little threat would work just as well."

"Y-your phone?"

Before she could respond they were suddenly surround by a small sea of blue.

"Tetsu! Are you okay?!"

"Holy crap man, we didn't expect to see you helping to take that guy down. Way to go!"

"You reacted far quicker than I did. Well done."

"How'd it feel to cuff your first bad guy?"

Shizuka blinked as the same group from that morning surrounded Tetsu and, due to the proximity, her as well.

Tetsu looked overwhelmed by the attention, his face turning bright red to match his hair as he ducked his head. "I-I didn't really do a-anything. I-it was mostly S-Shizuka-san."

 _"Oh great,"_ Shizuka cursed as they turned to her instead. _"Way to throw me to the sharks."_

Toki was clapping her hands with a brilliant grin. "Don't sell yourself short Tetsu, you looked so cool! But Kudo-senpai, that was amazing!"

 _"We're back to surnames now?"_ Shizuka wondered. Perhaps Toki was angry about losing her baton.

"K-Kudo?!" Tetsu squeaked, making Shizuka look at him.

"Ah," she thought back, recalling their encounters. It was no wonder the overly shy boy had used her first name. That was what Megure called her and no one else ever really talked to her. "I don't think I ever properly introduced myself. My name is Kudo Shizuka. Thanks for the assist."

She frowned in concern when Tetsu looked ready to faint. What was wrong with this kid?

" _You're_ Kudo Shizuka?" Natsuki asked with no small amount of disbelief.

Shizuka could feel her eyebrow twitch. "Yes. I am. Is that a problem?"

"Nope! No problem!" one of the boys cut in. It was the dark haired one that Shizuka liked more than the tall male. "We've just heard a lot about you is all. Did we ever introduce ourselves to you? I don't think we did. We should! My name's Takahito Shiro, age twenty two, and aspiring detective!"

"Uh," Shizuka felt slightly claustrophobic with all of the attention.

"And you already know me!" Toki waved her hand around enthusiastically. She gestured to the slightly shorter girl next to her. "And this is Hazuki Natsuki!"

"Nathan Coll- I mean, Collin Nathan," the tallest of the group was staring at her in shock.

Shizuka could only nod along as they introduced themselves. She had already known their names, Avelia bragged about them endlessly whenever she saw him. They were apparently the best of the best at the academy, but he spoke about his officers, new or old, like a proud mother so she had learned to take everything he said with a grain of salt.

"M-Miura T-Tetsu," the last of them stuttered, his voice reaching an odd, squeaking pitch. "I-It's an honor to m-meet you."

"Nice to meet you all," Shizuka managed to get out. This was just weird.

"Shizuka-san!" Megure called, waving her over. The officers behind him were shoving the murderer into the nearest squad car.

She gladly took the escape route. "Well, I'll have to save this conversation for another time. Great work Miura-san, keep it up."

Shizuka ducked past Nathan and hurried over to her mentor. She noticed her camera in the grip of one of the officers next to him so she snatched it out of his hands with a murmured "thanks" before continuing on. The day just kept getting weirder and weirder.

-00-

It was late by the time Megure and her got back to the station. She only had a few more minutes before she was officially off for the night and she was anxious to return to the normalcy of home. The day had been one surprise after the other and all she wanted to do was curl up and read a book.

 _"I think I get off early tomorrow,"_ she thought to herself as she packed her things back into her bag. She was waiting outside of Megure's office in hopes that if she wasn't in the room her family's curse wouldn't bring in another case before she clocked out. "Maybe I could start investigating early," she mumbled. The weekend wasn't for another two days, but she could always scout out the buildings she needed to visit just in case.

"Why don't you go to the Fire Festival tomorrow?" Avelia appeared behind her, making her jump.

Shizuka glared at him for what felt like the millionth time (how many times did she have to tell him not to sneak up on her before he actually listened?!) before realizing what he had said. "That's tomorrow?"

Avelia nodded. "It is. Megure is getting off earlier than usual tomorrow so you will be too. Why not go to the festival and relax a bit before the weekend?"

She considered it. She hadn't been to the Fire Festival, or any festival really, since she was thirteen. The only times after that were when she was chasing someone through one or that one time she took a part time job at a mask selling stall in order to spy on an elusive business owner that was taking his young son around the festival (she had been very desperate for any extra information she could find on him and she was well rewarded when he answered a phone call as his son perused the Kamen Yaiba masks). She could always invite Shinichi to come with her too. It would help distract him for a bit and he could be himself while they were there as long as Ran and her father weren't going.

"Are you going to the Fire Festival too Shizuka-senpai?"

Shizuka turned to see Toki and her friends walking into the office area.

"Maybe," she shrugged.

Shiro grinned widely. "Cool! We were actually planning to go as well and we've been asking everyone to see who wants to join us. It'll be a good way to get to know people!"

"Ugh," Natsuki rolled her eyes, and Shizuka shared the sentiment.

A heavy hand grabbed her shoulder, as if to keep her from running away.

"That's a great idea," Avelia grinned and the group froze, having not noticed him until they were fully in the room. "I'm sure Kudo would love to join you."

"Actually I-"

"Great!" Toki cheered. She turned her attention to Avelia. "Will you be going as well Chief?"

Nathan and Natsuki elbowed her in the sides for her impoliteness but Avelia just shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. Kudo, you'll have to take pictures for me."

"No, I don't-"

"What time are you all getting together?" Avelia cut her off, his deep voice drowning her out.

"We were planning to leave right after our shift sir," Natsuki stated in a business like tone. The only one that seemed at ease with conversing with Avelia seemed to be Toki. "The plan was to change here and head over as soon as possible so that we would not miss too many of the activities."

"Ah," Avelia nodded. "You'll have to bring your yukata to work Kudo."

Shizuka scowled. "I wasn't planning on wearing one, and I don't-!"

Toki let out an affronted gasp. "Not wear a yukata? To a festival?! But Senpai, it's practically a requirement!"

Shizuka tried not to sigh. "No, it-"

"You have to wear one!" Toki demanded, rushing forward to grab her hands. Shizuka wanted to back away from the crazed woman but Avelia's hold was like a steel trap. "You absolutely have to!"

"You should listen to the girl, Kudo," Avelia advised, a hidden smirk in his words that Shizuka wanted to punch with a vengeance. "When else would you get to wear one?"

She was surrounded. Any other time she would have been able to wiggle out of whatever anyone wanted to drag her into but Avelia new her all to well. She doubted the man would drop it, especially when it involved spending time and… _bonding_ with people in her age group.

"I…" she trailed off, allowing herself a moment to mourn for her free time. "I think I have one that might work."

"Yay!" Toki squealed, jumping up and down with Shizuka's hands still in hers, making the consultant's arms shake. "This'll be so much fun! We've got to get back to work, but we'll come get you as soon as we're ready to go tomorrow, okay Senpai?"

"…Sure," Shizuka gave her a weak smile. Toki grinned in return and practically skipped back to her friends. They all saluted Avelia before moving towards their respective areas.

Once they were gone she slapped Avelia's hand away and whirled around to glare at him. "Must you ruin everything?"

"Ruin?" he gave her a hurt expression but she wasn't fooled. "I just thought you could spend some quality time with your new friends!"

"My god, you're almost as bad as my mother!" Shizuka pointed at him threateningly. "I don't need you or anyone else to pick my friends for me. I don't need anymore friends nor do I want any!"

"Come on Shizuka," Avelia patted her head. "Just spend the night having fun before you go off into whatever conspiracy you've gotten yourself wrapped up in this time. Besides, those kids could use a role model like you. I put them with Megure for a reason you know, and it's not just because he's practically number one. They'll be amazing detectives one day, I'd bet my life on it. Just get to know them a bit, okay?"

She ducked away from his annoying hair ruffle and sighed. "It's not like I have a choice now. I've already agreed to it you manipulative bastard."

"And the nice and sociable, quirky consultant just can't stand them up can she?" Avelia laughed as he turned to walk away.

"Screw you!"

-00-

 **The next day**

Shinichi couldn't help but laugh as his sister glared daggers down at him. It was early in the morning and Shizuka had shown up on the Mouri doorstep offering to take him to school. Ran had no problem with it and Kogoro was still sleeping.

"So you got suckered into going," he snickered.

"Shut it," she scowled. "You lose out too, you know. I was originally going to take you."

"No thanks," he calmed down, still highly amused. "I would much rather stay home and read a book."

"You and me both," she grumbled as they crossed the street.

Shinichi just continued to grin. "Just bring your camera and do what you always do," he shrugged. "You said you would go with them, not stay with them. Find some place to take pictures and I'm sure they'll wander off on their own once they get bored."

"That's the plan," Shizuka nodded. "Avelia keeps trying to get me to interact with them in the precinct but he can't control anything outside of it."

Shinichi started laughing again. He had only met the Chief a few times over the years but he could see how the man would get on his sister's nerves.

The man obviously cared about his subordinates down to a personal level, which was good in a way he supposed, but both Shizuka and himself were very independent people. They didn't like to rely on anyone for anything and when they did it was like pulling teeth. It was simply the way they had become after taking care of themselves for so many years but Shinichi was able to handle it better because he was used to Ran's worrying and Shizuka's badgering.

The only person Shizuka ever really turned to was Agasa and himself, but even those instances were rare. It was just how she was, which is what made getting along with Avelia so difficult for her. The man was a worrier to the highest degree and ever since he had pulled Shizuka into being a consultant for his department he had become determined to get her to branch out in the world.

It was amusing to watch.

"Maybe you should just stop trying to fight him," Shinichi offered, ducking to avoid a slap to the head. "Hey! It'd be for the best! You got get away with not really knowing anyone before because you were gone so often, but now you're working there all the time on a daily basis. You know he isn't going to stop and the only real consequence that would come out of letting him win is bragging rights on his part. Besides, I thought you said we needed to lay low? What do you think the men in black will think when they notice the sister of the guy they killed suddenly returning and looking into cases she has never taken an interest in before? If I need friends to look normal then you do too."

Shizuka tried to keep the glare on her face but she couldn't hold it for long. She sighed. "I hate it when you use your reasoning against me. It's a fair point and it makes sense, I guess. I'll try, but with little steps. Tonight I'm still going to focus on taking pictures. It's been forever since I actually went to enjoy a festival."

Shinichi threw his hands behind his head smugly. He loved winning arguments against her. "Don't you have to wear a yukata to that? I'm sure you haven't outgrown any of your old ones."

This time he wasn't fast enough to avoid the cuff to the forehead.

 **I apologize for suddenly throwing a group of OC's at your face! There is a reason for it! I needed more people on Megure's team and they were the first ones to pop up in my head. Obviously the canon team of Sato, Takagi, Shiratori, and Chiba are going to be around but they are detective in their own right and I needed officers. There are always some in the background of almost every crime scene and they bring the important information. I don't want to just keep saying some random officer burst into the room so I created the newbies. I hope you guys like them, they'll be around for quite some time. Their profiles are also at the bottom if you're interested.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Toyama Kiyo (Toki):**

 **Age: 22**

 **Eye color: Light blue (have you ever met someone with eyes that were so blue they seemed to glow? That is how I picture her eyes.)**

 **Hair color: Dark brown hair that goes past her shoulder blades**

 **Height: 5'9**

 **Occupation: Police officer for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police.**

 **Personality: Very hyperactive and positive. She always looks at the brighter side of things and is a bit of a spazz. Because of this people often underestimate her but she is very passionate about her job and wants to make a difference in the world. She cares dearly about her friends and is always willing to lend a helping hand when it is needed. If she sees someone being left out she will do her best to include them.**

 **Hobbies: Often goes on runs early in the morning to burn off a bit of excess energy. She loves puzzles of all kinds and she goes to the shooting range whenever she can to brush up on her skills. She loves hanging out with her friends and looking up old cases that strike her as odd or mysterious. Enjoys eating whenever she possibly can due to her high metabolism.  
**

 **Hazuki Natsuki:**

 **Age: 22**

 **Eye color: Dark green**

 **Hair color: Black (most often in a tight bun but in the rare chances it is down it goes down just past her shoulders)**

 **Height: 5'6**

 **Occupation: Police officer for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police**

 **Personality: Very cold and straightforward. She rarely has a filter for her sharp remarks and is not afraid to tell people exactly what she thinks they are doing wrong. Due to past events she is very hateful towards criminals and is determined to put as many as she possible can away. Cares for her friends but believes they could further their skills much more so she constantly pushes them to try harder. Is deathly afraid of losing them.**

 **Hobbies: Keeps a rigorous training schedule to keep herself in shape. Enjoys meditation and reading mysteries when time allows. Often bakes to relieve stress but can never eat everything she makes, which is how she befriended the group when they were in the Academy.**

 **Takahito Shiro:**

 **Age: 22 (almost 23)**

 **Eye color: Dark brown**

 **Hair color: Black, often looks disheveled.**

 **Height: 6'0**

 **Occupation: Police officer of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police**

 **Personality: Easy going and relaxed. Works diligently when on the clock but the moment he is home he is extraordinarily lazy. Used to be very lax in his efforts to be an officer but after meeting his friends he forced himself to work harder so that he could graduate with them. While very uncaring towards competitions, if it is something he enjoys he will become extremely competitive and hates to lose. Adores his friends but often feels his own skills are lacking compared to theirs.**

 **Hobbies: Loves playing video games of all kinds and is a great fan of hockey. Hates working out but Natsuki constantly badgers him to keep in shape so that he doesn't fall behind, so he does the bare minimum he can get away with. Loves to draw and is often doodling in the margins of all of his notes, regardless of if the notes are on simple day-to-day things or crime scene notes. Tests himself mentally whenever he can in hopes that it will improve his detective skills so he might catch up with his friends.**

 **Collin Nathan:**

 **Age: 21**

 **Eye color: Dark brown**

 **Hair color: Dark brown, kept short and carefully combed to the side**

 **Height: 6'2 (slightly taller than Avelia but very scrawny)**

 **Occupation: Police officer of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police**

 **Personality: A complete nerd when it comes to old cases, especially unsolved ones. Is often very serious but relaxes around his friends. Diligent in his work, he refuses to leave a job unfinished and is the main reason Shiro is able to finish all of his work in time. Tends to stay near the back of the group and watches over them as best he can. Feels it is his responsibility to make sure they are alright and helps them whenever one of them makes a mistake. Often termed the mother hen of the group. Very organized, almost to the point of being OCD.  
**

 **Hobbies: Often writes short stories or simple journal like events involving his friends. On days off he likes to go to public areas and people watch, trying to guess what they may be thinking. Loves TV dramas and detective shows.**

 **Miura Tetsu:**

 **Age: 19 (I looked up what age most officers were in Japan and I found an article that said the youngest age you could apply was seventeen.)**

 **Eye color: Light blue**

 **Hair color: Dark red (long enough and straight enough to cover his eyes when he looks down)**

 **Height: 5'4**

 **Occupation: Police officer of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police**

 **Personality: Has a deeply ingrained fear of talking to people that used to be so bad people thought he was mute. After meeting his friends he was able to overcome his fear slightly though he still avoids speaking unless one of them is with him. When it comes to criminals, however, he almost has a complete personality switch. He loses his stutter and speaks very coldly. Despises murderers of all kinds and is completely willing to throw himself at one in order to catch them. Is a genius when it comes to solving crimes but fails so badly in communication that his thoughts are often overlooked. Extraordinarily smart. Looks up to Shizuka greatly.**

 **Hobbies: Loves being out on the streets and exploring, only really returning to his home in order to sleep and eat. His friends rarely leave him on his own for long, dubbing him the baby of the group, and he often prefers to just be around them whenever he possibly can. Loves music and they way it allows people to express themselves and often tries to teach himself how to play new instruments though he rarely has the time. Maps out the city based on the paths he takes whenever he has the time.**

 **And those are all of the OC's! Again, sorry for throwing them all at you so suddenly, though I hope you like them!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I would say this is the second half of the last chapter if I didn't make it much longer than that one. Lets just keep it as a continuation shall we? Anyway, the "Perfect Alibi" case is completed in this chapter and the next one will be the "Missing Man" case and then probably the "Mansion of Terror". I'm mainly following the manga right now, since the next anime mysteries are the train and cruise ones which I'm still trying to figure out in my head (seriously, why would Shizuka be with them?! Should she be with them? They're such good cases!). I'd give you a length estimate if I weren't so random with word count. Anyways, I hope you guys like this next chapter! A reviewer asked to see the yukatas so I tried to detail Shizuka's (and two others) as well as I could.**

 **turquoise ninja 012: I was actually very hesitant to make the Hunter her nickname so I made sure to slide in that only the younger officers really called her that. I still have no idea what her detective name will be (since everyone has one, honestly) and that was the first thing that popped into my head. I'm glad you like Shizuka so much! I was worried about making her so good at certain things but technically it works out because she has a good few years of experience behind her. If I start making her act unrealistically please, please let me know so I can stop myself early on. That is a terrible pit to fall into. Thank you for the review!**

 **JarayZ: ..Are the sudden new names a bad thing or a good thing? I promise no new big OC's will be introduced for a long time (I don't have any plans for any more honestly, but who know)! As requested, I described her yukata as best as I could. I hope I did it justice. PS. It totally okay, my mind doesn't really make sense either. Its what makes stories so fun to write!**

 **Amaranthais: To and too always love to trip me up, thank you for pointing that out. And I was thinking of using 'legible' but I don't like using the same words to often (I know I still do, and it always bugs me that I can't break that habit). And please. Please, please, please, if you see any of my characters blossoming into hideously shiny Mary/Gary Stus then feel free to smack the crap out of me and replace it with common sense! Sorry for throwing all of those profiles at you but those are all the basics of their personalities. Obvious things that are easy to see. There is plenty of stuff I left out, not to worry! And if you like long chapters have I got good news for you ;)! Thanks you so much for the feedback and constructive criticism, it really helps me out. Your review is much appreciated!**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

 **-00-**

 **Chapter 8: Making Friends**

 **-00-**

Let it be said that she wasn't actively trying to avoid them. It just so happened that every time one of them would approach her with a question she would be called away or she would realize something that was case breaking that needed to be reported right away. She wasn't avoiding them, honestly, she just wasn't seeking them out in any way, shape, or form.

 _"Maybe they'll forget the whole thing,"_ she tapped her fingers on her chair, eyes glued to the clock. The day had gone by impossibly fast and she only had mere seconds before her shift came to an end. _"Hazuki said they were inviting everyone who was free to come. That's a lot of people right? They won't even realize I'm not there."_

"Shizuka-senpai!" the door slammed open, making Megure jump and almost spill his coffee. Toki scratched the back of her head and laughed nervously. "Ahaha, sorry Inspector Megure. I got a little over excited."

Megure sighed and shook his head. "What are you doing here Toyama-san?"

"I'm just here to pick up Senpai~" she sang. "I know you said you couldn't go to the festival but Senpai said yes so I've come to collect!"

"Really?" Megure turned to the consultant with an eyebrow raised. He was recalling how she had asked to leave early just moments before.

Shizuka let out a hollow laugh. "I didn't think you would be here so soon."

"Five o' clock right on the dot," Toki tapped her wristwatch with pride. "Which means you are officially off the clock. Now come one, lets go get ready! You have your yukata right?"

"…Yes," she grabbed the small bag next to her chair she had been forced to bring.

"Great!" Toki skipped over and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet and out the door. "Bye bye Inspector! Have a nice night!"

"Ah," Megure waved at Shizuka sympathetically as she gave him wide, pleading eyes. "Enjoy the festival ladies."

 _"Traitor."_

Toki wasted no time in dragging her into the nearest women's bathroom. Shizuka was surprised to see Natsuki as well as a handful of other officers already there. Natsuki was wearing her yukata, a dark green with light blue fern like flowers and a matching obi, and was helping another, older officer into hers.

"This is so exciting!" Toki dropped her hand and moved to an empty stall. Shizuka could make out a bag already hanging on the door. "Let's hurry and get ready Shizuka-senpai."

"Uh, yeah, sure," Shizuka shook her head and moved to find an open stall. Once she had gained her own little space she took out her own outfit and started on the annoying process of putting it on. The yukata was the one she had worn when she was undercover at the mask stall. It was a dark black with light purple flowers scattered across the fabric and a slightly darker purple obi sash. She liked it because there was a slit on either side that went up to just below her mid thigh that wasn't noticeable unless she was moving quickly. It allowed her a wider range of movement than a normal yukata and it was easy to walk in, plus she could take the trailing ends and tie them together around her waist, making it look like she was just wearing shorts and a decorative shirt (in case she was being followed and needed to change quickly).

She was able to get most of the yukata on herself but when it came to the sash she new she would need help. Leaving the stall she came face to face with Toki, who was having a similar problem.

"Senpai!" she grinned, lifting up her own dark orange sash. "Shall we help each other out?"

Shizuka nodded and moved to help her first. Toki's choice of dress was light orange with yellow flowers that was a little too bright for Shizuka to look at directly but it fit the taller girl nicely. Once she finished she turned around so Toki could tie her own.

"Done," Toki stepped back with a proud smile. "Now we can do our hair!"

 _"Ugh."_

Luckily Toki let her get away with simply braiding her hair back. Unfortunately, she had to put on a light layer of makeup unless she wanted the energetic girl to try to put it on herself. Simple black eyeliner and brown eye shadow was as much as she was willing to do.

"You all look so beautiful," Toki cooed as she took all of them in. Her own hair was done up in twin tails held up by yellow flower clips. "The boys won't know what hit them."

Most of the other women laughed but Natsuki and Shizuka just rolled their eyes.

"We've spent enough time in here," Natsuki pushed her way to the front, her side ponytail swaying as she went. "We should start heading out."

Shizuka was caught up in the flow of women as they herded out of the bathroom. She made sure to stay near the back where less people would see her. If they could just get out of the building before-

"You ladies look stunning," Avelia's voice boomed brightly. "Are you heading to the festival now?"

The women all blushed happily at the compliment. Shizuka felt slightly betrayed when even Natuski's cheeks grew slightly pink. She didn't understand how half of the police force could be so infatuated with the man when he was such overbearing mother bear most of the time.

"Ah, hello Chief, Inspector!" Toki's voice answered back. "We're going to go get the boys now before we go."

"I see. Well you should all go and enjoy yourselves! Have fun tonight."

"Yes sir!" they all chorused, a few even saluting the man. As they moved towards the entrance Shizuka edged around the group carefully, doing her best to stay out of eyesight.

"Pft. Have fun Kudo!"

She could feel her cheeks burn as she twisted to glare at him. Avelia and Megure were watching them go with wide smiles, Avelia's more amused than anything else. She wished Megure hadn't been standing there, otherwise she would have flipped the Chief off.

"Have a good night Shizuka-san!"

"Thanks Inspector," she gritted out, lips twitching in an attempt at a smile.

Avelia's laughter echoed down the hall after her.

"Tch," Shizuka clicked her tongue, not bothering to hide anymore.

"Ahhh, what?" Toki suddenly exclaimed from the front of the group. They were just reaching the doors, the men outside waiting for them. "What are you guys wearing?!"

Shiro smirked as he caught sight of them. He was wearing simple jeans and a black t-shirt. "What? You never said anything about us having to dress up."

"No fair!"

Shizuka looked at them enviously. The small group of men were all dressed casually, most wearing simple t-shirts. The only ones that were even a little dressed up simply wore black slacks and white dress shirts.

"Sucks to suck," Shiro shrugged unrepentantly. "Besides, you guys look great! We wouldn't want to pull any attention away from that."

"Smooth," Natsuki rolled her eyes. "Lets just go alright?"

"Hmph," Toki folded her arms. "Fine. Whatever. We can still have fun even if _some_ people decide to be sticks in the mud."

"To the bus then," Nathan spoke up. Tetsu was next to him. They were two of the men that had decided to dress up at least a little bit.

 _"This is going to be a long night,"_ Shizuka sighed as she followed the group.

-00-

It had been a few hours since they had arrived and everyone had already formed groups. They all agreed to meet up for dinner before the night ended and Shizuka hadn't been overly surprised when she had been half dragged into Toki's group. She didn't know why the other girl was so adamant about making her spend time with them, but she supposed it was nice to be with familiar faces.

They had spent most of the time traveling from stall to stall and making small talk. Shizuka was perfectly content to simply hover at the back but every once in awhile Toki or Shiro would ask her a question to pull her into the conversation. Even Tetsu made an effort to speak to her at least once, though he had immediately started to stutter and ran off mid way through the conversation. Natsuki seemed completely willing to just ignore her most of the time, which Shizuka was fine with, and Nathan only really ever spoke when spoken to. As the festival began to pick up, however, everyone seemed to get a little more energetic.

She wasn't bored, exactly, it was even kind of fun, but she couldn't seem to feel the awe she once held for such grand festivals.

At least, until they got to the center and the music started up as the bonfire grew. It was pitch black in the main area except for the flames.

The Fire Festival was in full swing now, the great bonfire towering above the crowd's heads. The light was dancing across the square, lighting up the other posts as well as the people's faces. It was beautiful with a touch of mystery and her mind danced with all the different kinds of photos she could take.

With a slight grin she climbed up onto the small stone wall lining the outside of the plaza and straightened her yukata. Taking a few small, quick steps to the left along the wall she lifted her camera and zoomed in on the bonfire. The people nearest to the roaring flames simply looked like shadows dancing in the light.

"Uh, Shizuka-senpai?"

"Yes?" she replied distractedly, focusing on the group of what appeared to be high school musicians who had pulled out their instruments and started to join in on the music. She was impressed by their skill and how much they appeared to be enjoying themselves.

"What are you doing?"

Shizuka didn't bother to answer when her viewfinder scanned over a small hill on the other side of the fire. She hopped off the wall, almost bumping into Shiro. He skipped back a step to avoid her as she straightened.

She blinked at the group staring back at her. "Oh. Do you mind if I go off on my own for a while? I noticed a great vantage point on the other side of the bonfire. It's over on that hill, just over there," she pointed. "I might be there for some time, and I'm just going to be taking pictures so you all should just enjoy the rest of the festival with out me. I'll be back in time for the dinner."

"What?"

But she had already disappeared into the crowd. Not the subtlest escape she had ever come up with, but she doubted they would follow her. Watching someone take pictures could get very boring, very quickly.

She wasted no time in climbing to the top of the hill and was overjoyed to see a few trees overlooking everything. Thankful for her choice in dress, she quickly scaled the largest one she could find.

There weren't very many people on the hill, which was surprising, but she figured everyone had migrated to the center after the music had picked up. She laid herself out on one of the bigger branches and brought her camera up to her face. Adjusting the settings for better lighting she looked through the viewfinder once more.

There was just something about seeing the world through a camera's lens that calmed her. When she looked at a scene with her own two eyes, everything seemed dulled down; less important to the overall scheme of things. But when she looked at it through her lens, everything came into focus. Little moments in the big picture became far more vibrant and beautiful. She could capture the truth of the world around her in a way her own vision never could. Without her camera a leaf looked like just another leaf in the piles around her. With her camera it looked like one brilliant splotch of color on cold grey cement. Every picture was unique and beautiful, and it made her happy to witness these moments. It centered her and let her see more than just what was in front of her.

There was a soft clambering of voices down below her, but she ignored it. It was probably just another group of people resting after the upbeat dancing. Instead, she focused on the man and woman spinning in a circle with two small children. For a moment her eyes played tricks on her and it was her parents dancing with Shinichi and her.

"-she lie, Natsuki? She said she would be over here!"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you practically forced her to come and spend time with us? She obviously didn't want to hang around!"

"G-guys, calm down. I-it's a f-festival…"

"Yeah, Tetsu's right. We're supposed to be having fun! Getting to know people!"

"We can't know someone who isn't here."

"Oh come on Nathan!"

"Uh, guys? I-is that-?"

Shizuka pulled her camera down and skimmed through the pictures for a moment, nodding with pride. They looked pretty good if she did say so herself.

"Senpai! What are you doing up there?!"

Shizuka jumped slightly, wrapping her arms and legs around the branch to keep from slipping. She peered over the edge to see the people she had just ditched staring up at her in shock.

She sighed. "…One second."

She sat up and made her way back down the tree swiftly. She rolled her eyes when she noticed a few of them move their arms in preparation to catch her if she fell.

"What are you all doing over here?" Shizuka asked them the moment her feet touched the ground.

"What are we doing?" Shiro shook his head in disbelief. "What are _you_ doing? Why were you up in a tree?"

"Are you part squirrel?!" Toki gasped.

Shizuka scrunched up her face. "…No. I'm not part squirrel. I was taking pictures."

"In a tree," Nathan stated skeptically.

"Yes. It overlooks the whole festival and the lighting it gives is amazing thanks to the bonfire."

"Awww, but senpai," Toki started off with a frown, "we wanted to spend more time with you!"

"Why?" Shizuka shook her head. Why did these people keep following her around? She wasn't exactly being subtle when she practically ran away from them. "We hardly know each other and I'm not even a real officer. If you wanted to get to know someone there are plenty of better candidates."

Toki's eyes lit up with realization. "Oh! No, Senpai you don't understand. We really look up to you, 'real officer' or not! Tetsu, tell her!"

Shizuka felt her eyebrows rise up when the smallest of the group was pushed forward. He was beat red and anxiously wringing his hands.

"U-uh," he looked off to the side.

Shiro tapped his shoulder. "Come on, just spit it out. She's not gonna shoot you or something."

"J-just taze me," he muttered and Shizuka couldn't help the startled snort that escaped her.

She cleared her throat in embarrassment when they looked at her in confusion. "It's nothing, sorry. What were you saying?"

They all seemed to be confused but Tetsu seemed bolstered by her reaction. "U-uh, Shizuka-sa- I mean Kudo-san," he hastily corrected himself. "D-do you remember a few years ago? W-when you caught the k-killer Nosaru Chouza in Paris?"

Shizuka recognized the name immediately. That had been the first criminal she had ever tracked out of the country.

"I do. What does he have to do with this?" And how did they even know about him?

Tetsu looked up, his eyes steely. "T-that bastard killed my Uncle."

"What?" she gapped at him. That couldn't be right. She had visited the victim's family personally after the capture and there had only been a niece. No one ever mentioned a nephew and she never forgot the faces of the people she helped. It kept her motivated.

"Ah, w-well I was actually on the streets when y-you caught him. I was in a d-dark place after my uncle was k-killed. He practically r-raised me and I left home after his killer g-got away. I tried to- to track him myself but, uh, I wasn't very g-good at it. M-my sister finally found me and, um, told me w-what happened. I d-decided to join the police force a-after that. I could never do what y-you do, but I could at least h-help prevent something li-like what happened to m-me from h-happening again. And uh, um, I-"

Shiro finally took pity on him. "And then he met us!" He threw an arm around Tetsu's shoulders. "We met little Tetsu here in our second year and eventually got him to spill the beans. So we looked you up and saw all the stuff you had done, and damn was it impressive. I mean, you're only like a year younger than us, or older in Tetsu's case, but you've already taken down a _bunch_ of scumbags and you did it on your own! Then we found out about your brother and he's even _younger_ and it was like, hoy crap, what am I doing with my life right now? It's, uh, kind of embarrassing," Shiro scratched at his cheek, "but it motivated us you know? We worked our asses off to graduate as soon as possible so we could make a difference too, yeah?"

Natsuki snorted at the wide-eyed look Shizuka was giving them. "We weren't expecting some shrimp to be the one that took the Ryu-Tora yakuza down. I guess you really can't judge a book by its cover. Or by its size."

"Natsu!" Toki cried, glaring at her.

Nathan just sighed and shook his head. "Look, Kudo-san, we didn't mean to insult you yesterday or any time after that. We honestly never thought we would ever actually meet you and your reputation paints quite the picture. Still, it was very impolite and we apologize."

"Uh," Shizuka eloquently stated. "Don't… worry about it?"

The surname Miura had sounded familiar when she had first heard it, but there were a lot of people in the world and Miura wasn't exactly an uncommon family name. If she thought back as hard as she could, she was able to recall the young, red headed niece mentioning something about finding someone. Was that Tetsu's sister? She hadn't really been paying attention to anything other than the fact that she was exhausted and that they were clearly overjoyed with the news. She had just assumed she was talking about finding her friends to tell them.

Shizuka subtly pinched the skin on her wrist but the sharp pain cleared any notions that this was all a dream. This was not what she was expecting to happen at all. Was life just determined to suddenly flip upside down? When was the last time something normal happened around her?

A sudden cacophony of screams echoed from around the bonfire. Shizuka almost got whiplash with how quickly her head turned. They were to far away to see what exactly was wrong but there was a clear gap in the crowd just in front of the left side of the bonfire.

"What's going on?" Nathan demanded, the others getting ready to rush forward.

Shizuka lifted her camera quickly and zoomed in on what was causing the uproar. The fire had grown a little too intense on one side and a bit of the wood near the bottom had crumbled. An oddly shaped lump had fallen out onto the pavement.

"What the-?" Shizuka looked up for a second to change the settings on the lens. With a clearer view she could just barely make out the burnt remains of a human figure. "Call the Chief," she demanded, digging her phone out of her sleeve and tossing it to Natsuki who was closest to her. "And get the fire department down here. There's been a murder.

-00-

"I've got a license," Avelia lifted up a slightly charred drivers license. He tilted it to the side, running his gloved fingertips over the surface to try and clear away some of the ash. "Negishi Masaki, male, forty two years old. I can't make out the picture, though it's in surprisingly good condition."

"At least we've got a name," Shizuka offered as she knelt over the burned corpse. She had a pair of gloves on her hands as well and the sleeves of her yukata were rolled up to her shoulders. She carefully opened the jaw of the victim, her nose crinkling at the smell. "The wood for the bonfire wasn't particularly strong and he was obviously a big man. He would have easily broken out if he struggled unless he was drugged or dead before the fire even started."

"Which rules out a suicide," Avelia agreed, coming over to look at the body as well. "Regardless of if he wanted to die he would have reacted to the pain and if he drugged himself strong enough to not feel anything he never would have been able to hide in the base as well as he did."

"Hm?," Shizuka tilted the head back and pointed at the underside of the neck. "Right here. This looks like it was made by a blade of some sort."

Avelia kneeled down next to her to get a better look. There was a long gouge along the throat. "No fire could have made that, and the wood would never be sharp enough."

"So dead before the fire then," Shizuka sighed. "At least he didn't have to suffer through that."

He hummed in agreement, his face dark. "The wood near where he was hidden is very weak. No matter how long he was in there it would have broken before he completely burned away. And the drivers license is in good condition, even though it was in the fire."

"Twisted luck is on our side yet again," Shizuka smirked coldly.

"Looks like it," Avelia pulled of one of the gloves so he could run a hand through his hair. Shizuka tilted her head to the side when she noticed the odd look on his face, but it was gone in an instant. "There isn't much more we can do here. We have to wait for forensics to go over the body and find out who he actually is. This driver's license might not be his."

Shizuka rubbed the bridge of her nose as she stood as well. "Right. Need me to do anything?"

He shook his head and gestured towards the officers from the festival standing off to the side. "No, we've got it covered. Why don't you all head home for the night?"

"Yeah, that's probably for the best," she took off her own gloves. "What a way to end the night."

"Come on, it couldn't have been completely terrible," Avelia disagreed. "Besides, you should be used to this by now. You Kudo's have bodies following you like you're shinigami."

Shizuka rolled her eyes. "Oh you know, it's just so great for business."

"I bet," he chuckled. "Seriously though, how'd it go?"

Shizuka looked over towards the group of newbies. Toki was explaining what happened to the other officers with wide, extravagant hand gestures while Natsuki repeatedly cut in to say what actually happened. Shiro was talking with his senior officer (she could vaguely recall the name Sunoharu Takayoshi) with Nathan hanging off to the side and keeping an eye on everything. Tetsu was circling around the ashen wood that used to be the bonfire, preferring to stay away from the crowd.

"It was…" she trailed off slightly. "Weird. Not bad, I don't think, but new. I'm not really sure what to think about it."

"But it wasn't bad?" Avelia urged with a grin.

"No mom, it wasn't bad," she folded her arms.

"Oh dear, that's wonderful! I'm so glad you're making friends~" Avelia pitched his voice higher in a failed attempt at sounding like a woman.

Shizuka choked and gave an odd little snorting chuckle. She slapped a hand over her mouth when Avelia laughed.

"Damn it Avelia, there's a body right there!"

"Our lives revolve around the dead," Avelia smiled sadly. "We need a bit of laughter where ever we can find it."

"That's surprisingly deep Chief," Shizuka lowered her hand, conceding the point.

"What can I say, I'm an ocean of wisdom."

The snort chuckle returned, her face burning as he continued to laugh at her. "Goodbye Avelia," she huffed, storming away from him.

"Goodnight Kudo!" he called after her as she picked up her pace.

The group she came with looked up as she approached them.

"Hey Senpai, what'd the Chief say?" Toki piped up immediately and Shizuka frowned, noting how pale she was. In fact, many of them were looking a bit ill.

" _Oh,"_ she realized. It had been a long time since she felt nauseous around a body. She distantly wondered if she should be worried about that.

"He said we could go home. We're already off the clock and there isn't much that can be done until tomorrow anyway."

"Yeah, lets save that dinner for another night," one of the older officers sighed. "I've lost my appetite."

There were murmurs of agreement and even Natsuki looked a little green.

"We can just plan another outing later," Toki pumped her fists, her smile slightly strained. "It'll be fun!"

"Sure thing," the others agreed.

"Does everyone have a ride home?" Shizuka wondered. They all looked to each other to affirm their plans before nodding.

"And you're coming with us, right Kudo-san?" Shiro gestured towards their little group as Tetsu edged closer to them once he realized they were all talking about leaving.

Shizuka blinked. "Uh, sure. I wouldn't mind a ride. And please, just Shizuka is fine."

"Alright, lets go then," Nathan stretched his arms out and everyone moved to leave. Many of the officers waved goodbye to their other friends on the force but Shizuka and her group could leave right away since none of them really new (or interacted) with anyone else.

"K-Kudo-san?" Tetsu sped up to match his pace with hers.

Shizuka tilted her head. "Just Shizuka is fine, Miura-san. What is it?"

"U-uh," he looked back at the festival turned crime scene. "T-this doesn't happen o-often does it?"

"You're asking the wrong person," she sighed, rolling down her sleeves. "I come from a long line of apparent Shinigamis, so I wouldn't really know. If you hang out with anyone in my family, however, then yes. This is completely normal."

"O-oh," he seemed to grow even paler. "I-Is that why you're so calm?"

She shrugged. "Probably. I can handle criminals and the dead far better than I can handle anyone normal. Dead bodies haven't bothered me for a long time."

It was the living that left her on edge. Which was kind of weird, if she thought about it, but she didn't really mind. It was simply how her life had always been so she didn't see a problem with it.

"Well," Natsuki broke the awkward silence that had followed their brief conversation, "I think we've had enough murder and death for one day. I just want to go to sleep."

They all gave varied responses of agreement. Once they reached the bus stop the idle conversations died down to nothing, and the rest of the ride back was done so in silence.

-00-

 **The next morning**

"Coffee?" Shizuka offered the extra cup in her hand.

Megure looked up from the file he was poring over, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the steaming mug. "Thank you Shizuka-san, this is just what I needed."

"I figured," she took the seat next to him, scooting over so she could see the file as well. "You've been looking this over since you got here."

Megure leaned back, pushing the file towards her. "Yes, well, forensics just got us a face to match the name this morning. Negishi Masaki has no remaining family and very few friends. I called the only name on his emergency contact list but he won't be here for another half hour."

"Didn't you make that phone call the moment you got in?" she wondered, flipping through the papers. She remembered Megure being on the phone when she had walked in to start the day.

"Yes," Megure grumbled, obviously annoyed. "He just returned from a vacation a few hours ago and decided a few extra hours of rest were more important than the investigation of his friend's death."

"What an asshole," Shizuka mumbled. Megure laughed and she sent him a sheepish smile.

"Well, we should at least-"

"Inspector Megure!" the door slammed open as Mouri Kogoro stormed in. Shizuka jumped slightly at the sudden noise, Megure no better beside her, and looked on with surprise as the enraged man's eyes zeroed in on the case file on the table.

"Mouri-kun," Megure stood up. "What are you doing here?"

"This man!" Kogoro slammed his hand down on the picture of their murder victim. "I know him!"

"What?!" they both asked.

"I was hired a few days ago," Kogoro scowled. "I was supposed to follow this man around for three days to keep an eye on him. Two days ago was my last day and yesterday night he was killed!"

"That was who you were shadowing?" Shizuka tugged at the end of her ponytail. Megure gave her a questioning look. "I ran into him when I went to pick up Conan-chan. Is that what you were doing Mouri-san?"

"Yes," he folded his arms, expression dark. "But I never saw any sign of anyone else following him and he acted completely normal over those three days. How was he killed?!"

"Mouri-kun, calm down," Megure urged. "First of all, who hired you to keep an eye on him."

Kogoro let out a deep breath. "It was a friend of his, or at least that's what he said. A man named Abe Yutaka hired me because he thought Negishi was being followed."

"Abe Yutaka?" Megure frowned.

"Inspector," Shizuka started. "Isn't that the man you-"

There was a knock on the door. All three heads turned as the doorknob twisted and a stranger walked in.

"Oh, hello. I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he bowed apologetically. He was a very nondescript man with large ears and side swept dark brown hair. He wore a large pair of square, wire rimmed glasses and he appeared to have a permanent smile on his face. Shizuka took in the trench coat he had on over his atypical business suit. "I was told I could fine Inspector Megure here. My name is Abe Yutaka."

Megure grabbed Kogoro's shoulder before he could say anything as Shizuka approached the new arrival.

"Thank you for coming down Yutaka-san. Please, take a seat," she motioned towards the table. Once he had sat down she moved to join the two men on the other side. "My name is Kudo Shizuka. This is Inspector Megure and I understand you already know Mouri-san?"

"Ahh, yes," Yutaka peered at the furious private detective. "I am sorry this happened so soon after your surveillance Mouri-san. This is truly a tragedy."

Kogoro simply folded his arms, glaring the man down.

Megure shot him a warning look, but it was obvious he was choosing to let Kogoro stay for the questioning. "Yutaka-san, your friend Negishi Masaki was found dead last night in the Genma prefecture. He was found inside the pyre made for the Fire Festival's bonfire and due to the state his body was in it is impossible to accurately place the time of death."

"Oh my," Yutaka frowned. "Burned to death? That is awful! I can't believe it, I just saw him a few days ago!"

"When was the last time you saw Negishi-san?" Megure asked as Shizuka wrote down what they were saying.

Yutaka folded his hands in front of him, suddenly much calmer. Shizuka looked at him, a frown on her face. "Why, it was just before my company paid vacation trip. I left Wednesday evening so we had lunch the day before. I believe Mouri-san was in the booth a few tables down from us."

They turned to Kogoro who nodded his agreement. "Yes. They had lunch around noon and I did not see Yutaka-san again after that."

"Not once? Even though you are the one who hired him Yutaka-san?" Megure questioned suspiciously.

"As I said, I was on vacation," Yutaka opened up his hands in a gesture of honesty. Shizuka's scowl deepened. "I'm sorry, but I'm getting the feeling that this is an interrogation. You don't honestly think I had anything to do with my dear friend's murder do you?"

Megure frowned at him. "I am just a little curious, Yutaka-san. After all, Negishi-san's death would benefit you quite a bit. From what I understand you would get five hundred million yen should he die."

"Five hundred million?!" Kogoro balked.

"Yes," Megure nodded, eyes focused intently on the businessman. "Negishi Masaki had a life insurance of that exact amount with payment due towards Yutaka Abe."

"Don't you find that strange?" Kogoro demanded. "Why would the recipient of such a huge insurance sum be no more than a friend like you? Why that much? And why would _you_ of all people, the one who hired me to follow him in the first place, be the one to get the insurance?!"

Yutaka chuckled lightly, the light reflecting off his glasses.

 _"How much more suspicious can you get?"_ Shizuka gapped at him. This man was a terrible actor!

"It was a game…" Yutaka started.

"What?!" Kogoro roared as Megure's expression grew equally enraged.

Yutaka looked at them with a smile. "We had known each other for twenty years since college. One day we were having a drink and he started talking about how we were no longer as young as we used to be. He asked if I wanted to make a bet to see who could live the longest. He set the wage and I agreed."

"I see," Megure calmed slightly. "So you both took out life insurance."

"Yes." Yutaka shook his head. "Of course I didn't think the game would end after only three months."

Shizuka tapped her pen against the notepad. "Then why did you send Mouri-san to shadow him?" she questioned. There was no way this man was as innocent as he was pretending to be.

"Oh, it was no major reason," Yutaka shrugged lackadaisically. "He told me he thought he was being followed. He feared for his life."

"His life?" Megure tensed.

Yutaka nodded. "At first I thought he was joking, but he wasn't acting like himself. I was worried so I had him investigated for a few days to make sure he was safe. Right, Mouri-san?"

Kogoro had to bite his tongue before he exploded at the man.

"Well," Yutaka stood, brushing off his jacket. "I have work soon and I only just got back from my trip a few hours ago. I am the president of a small business so I am usually rather busy and I would really like to return home before I must return to my job." He bowed his head and moved to leave. "I would appreciate it if you could find the person who killed them. That kind of villain must not be left wandering the streets."

"Hmph," Kogoro smirked darkly. "If we find out, I'll be sure to tell you first of all!"

Megure and Shizuka shared surprised looks at the strong determination in the private detective's voice.

Yutaka paused outside of the door and looked back at them, a genial smile on his lips. "I'll be eagerly awaiting the news, Meitantei-san."

The door clicked shut with an air of finality and Megure let out a heavy sigh.

"Damn. I can't think of anyone who could have done it other than him," the inspector rubbed his chin. "But he's got a perfect alibi."

"If I had to put my money on anything," Shizuka leaned back in her chair, brow furrowed, "I would put it on Yutaka being the killer. If he really did return just this morning then it has only been a few hours since he was informed of his 'good friend's' death. He wasn't even trying to act, he was completely at ease."

"It's got to be him," Kogoro agreed. "I can just feel it."

They sat there in silence, each pondering over what could have possibly happened.

"Inspector," Kogoro turned to the senior investigator. "I ask that you allow me to take care of this case. Please put me on as a consultant."

"What?" Megure looked bewildered. "Mouri-kun, what has gotten into you?"

"That man, no, that _murder_ used me to make his alibi. I refuse to let him get away with killing someone because I was there to let it happen!"

Megure couldn't believe his eyes. He rarely ever saw Kogoro this worked up over anything.

"I think he can do it," Shizuka piped up. The two men turned to stare at her. "Like Mouri-san said, he was used to prove Yutaka's alibi. If Yutaka made any mistakes, anywhere, Mouri-san would know immediately because he was with Negishi-san for days. There is no such thing as a perfect alibi and Mouri-san is our best bet at finding the mistake."

Kogoro stared at her in shock, having never expected a Kudo to back him up. To his left Megure was thinking it over.

"You did some impressive work on that last case," he mused, debating with himself. "And I'm happy to accept help wherever we can get it. Alright Mouri-kun, you're hired." Megure scooped up the file on the desk and made sure everything was in it before handing it to Kogoro. "Here. This is a copy of the original files so you can take this one. When I called Yutaka I asked him to bring evidence of his trip over with him and Tech should already be going over it. Tell them I sent you and they will give you copies of whatever he brought as well."

Kogoro beamed brightly, reaching out to shake Megure's hand. "Thank you Megure-dono, I won't let you down. And… thanks Kudo."

Shizuka smiled. "Happy to help Mouri-san."

Kogoro wasted no time in rushing out of the room. Megure and Shizuka shared a sigh.

"I'm sure he'll figure it out, Inspector," Shizuka consoled. "I've not doubt that he's got a few tricks up his sleeves."

"I hope you're right Shizuka-san," he shook his head.

"If it makes you feel any better I can look into Yutaka as well. I can dig into his files and call up his company whenever we're in between cases," she offered.

Megure gave her a hopeful look. "Would you mind? I don't want to doubt Mouri-kun's abilities, not after he proved himself last time, but I can't stop thinking about the times we used to work together."

"It won't be a problem," she waved away his concerns. "But if you don't mind me asking, what makes you so hesitant to rely on him?"

Megure exhaled loudly through his nose. "He just wasn't made for detective work. He obviously had a great sense of justice and he was an amazing shot with a gun, but he wasn't cut out for investigating. He was one of the best officers I had ever worked with, but also one of the worst detectives. His mind just didn't work that way." He ran his fingers over his moustache as he spoke. "Then, after him and his wife started having trouble, his skills rapidly diminished. I don't know what happened with that last case but one good moment can't get rid of all of those mistakes. He's not a bad man, but I just can't see him as a grand detective. Not unless he keeps it up."

"I see," Shizuka rested her head on her hands as she observed her mentor. "Well, maybe he finally found his learning curve."

"I hope so," Megure rolled his shoulders. "For now, lets get back to work."

-00-

It was around lunchtime when Shizuka finally had time to look into Yutaka Abe. The city's criminals were apparently bursting with energy that day and what little free time she had was used to get from crime scene to crime scene. Thankfully, the dreaded phone calls hadn't interrupted before she went on her lunch break so she had plenty of time to make a few calls.

She was just passing by the break room when she caught sight of a familiar face. Takahito Shiro was sprawled out on one of the long couches, a small laptop resting on his lap. From where she was standing she could just barely make out what looked to be some kind of online RPG game.

"Takahito-san," she called, changing direction immediately.

Shiro jumped, hands scrambling to keep a hold of his computer. "What the- Shizuka-san? Jeez, don't sneak up on me when I'm raiding!"

Her left eyebrow rose and he flushed slightly but she shook it off. "I need to ask a favor. As soon as you are done… raiding, may I borrow your computer?"

"My laptop?" he blinked. "Yeah, sure thing. I was almost done actually. Do you play WoW too?"

"I don't know what that is. I just need to do some quick research."

"Oh," Shiro nodded. "Okay, no problem. Let me just log off really quick."

Shizuka held up her hand. "Finish what you were doing first. I need to make a few calls as well."

Shiro shrugged, perfectly happy to continue playing. Shizuka moved to the corner of the room and dialed the number for Yutaka's company she got from his file.

"This is North Genma's Publications and Finances, how may I help you?" a deep voice answered on the third ring.

"Good afternoon, my name is Kudo Shizuka. I am with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Force and I have a few questions for Abe Yutaka. May I speak to him?" Shizuka kept her tone cordial.

"The police?" the man sounded bewildered. "I- yes, I'll patch you right- oh! No, I'm sorry, Yutaka-san isn't in right now. He just left about an hour ago."

Shizuka frowned. "When will he be back?"

"Just one second, I'll look up his schedule for you." There was a brief moment of silence. "Ah, here it is. Oh. Yutaka-san won't be back for quite some time. He is scheduled for a three month vacation."

"What?" she hissed lowly. "He just got back from a vacation!"

"From what I can see on his schedule, that was company bonding trip. We have been going through a financial rough patch recently and Yutaka-san felt that it would bolster moral."

"Financial troubles?" Shizuka balanced her cellphone between her ear and shoulder, swinging her bag around so she could grab her notebook.

"Uh, I don't think I'm allowed to talk about that without-"

"What's your name?"

"What?"

"What is your name," she repeated.

"Mito Keita."

"Keita," Shizuka said seriously. "A close friend of Yutaka-san was found murdered just last night. We recently discovered information that connects Yutaka-san to the possible motive of the killer."

"…Do you mean- is Yutaka-san being targeted?"

Shizuka smirked but her voice was comforting. "It is a possibility. I need to find any other connections the two of them might have had, before it is to late."

There was a heavy silence on the other line.

"…The company has been in debt for a long time now, and we were on the verge of going bankrupt. When Yutaka-san came in earlier he said he had closed a business deal that would save the company. We were in debt for three hundred million yen, but he just told us that it had all been paid off." There was a long pause. "I-is that why Yutaka-san is being targeted."

"We're not sure if he is being targeted yet," Shizuka corrected, keeping her rising anger in check. There was no way Yutaka would have been able to get the life insurance money so quickly if he hadn't been ready for it. He had been expecting Negishi to die. And who the hell went on a company paid trip when the very same company was _bankrupt._ "You said he was going on vacation. Do you know where he is heading?"

"Y-yes. He is going to America, to a city called Seattle. His flight leaves… tonight actually. At nine."

 _"Shit,"_ Shizuka cursed mentally. She grabbed her phone in her left hand, looking over to see if Shiro was done yet. He was leaning back into the cushions of the couch, staring up at the ceiling with his laptop on the seat next to him. "Alright, thank you Keita. Your assistance is very appreciated."

"I'm happy to help. I hope you catch whoever did it."

"I'm sure we will. If Yutaka-san comes back in please call me back immediately."

"I will."

Shizuka flipped her phone shut and moved back to the couch. She lifted the laptop up and sat down, placing it in front of her. "Thank you Takahito-san."

"No problem. Is this for a case? Maybe what happened last night?" He peered over her shoulder curiously as she went to the home page of Yutaka and Negishi's insurance company.

She rolled her eyes at his curiosity. "Yes, it is about the murder from last night. We have a pretty good idea of who the culprit was but we don't have any solid evidence yet and I just found out we have a very short time window."

"Do you think anything will happen to that Yutaka guy?" Shiro squinted at the bright screen.

Shizuka gave him a sidelong look. "Were you eavesdropping?"

"What? No, of course not," he laughed. "I just have, you know, bat like hearing. I can't help it if I overhear stuff sometimes."

Shizuka hummed disbelievingly. "Right. And no, Yutaka isn't in any danger. He's the one we think is the killer."

"Ohhhh," Shiro nodded smartly. "So you tricked that guy on the phone to get what you needed. Smart."

"I didn't _trick_ him," she argued back, looking up flight plans to America to narrow down the possible airports. "If Yutaka isn't the killer then he may actually be targeted."

"But you don't believe that," he pointed out.

Shizuka sighed. "No. I don't believe that."

"Cool, cool. So, is there anything I can help with?"

Shizuka turned her head to stare at him. He seemed eager to please, she guessed, and an extra pair of hands could be useful. "There is, actually. Would you mind looking into Yutaka's bank and phone records for both company and personal outlets? We need to see who he spoke to and when exactly a large sum of money was transferred to him. If you find anything strange then report directly to Inspector Megure." She paused. "Oh, but check with your senior agent first. If Sunoharu-san needs you to do something else then please let me know immediately."

"Will do," he saluted her. "Wait, you know who my senior is?"

She turned his laptop off and shut it with a click. "I know a lot of things," she replied, handing him the computer and walking away. "Thanks for the help."

Once she was far enough away to not be eavesdropped on (again) she pulled out her phone once more and dialed the Mouri Detective Agency.

"Hello?"

"Mouri-san," Shizuka greeted. "I found out something you should know. Yutaka Abe has already received the money from the life insurance. He used it to pay off a three hundred million debt for his company and is going on a three-month vacation to America.

"What?!" she had to pull the phone away from her ear. "When?!"

"Tonight at nine. Have you found anything that we can use against him?"

"Nothing," he growled. "I've been going over the pictures I took of Negishi and the ones of his vacation but he made sure there was a clock in every photo to prove his alibi. I don't see how he could have done it."

Shizuka cupped the lower half of her face with her other hand, thinking hard. "There must be something that will let us know what happened. I've got someone looking into Yutaka's personal and business life. I'll let you know if they find anything."

"Alright," Kogoro sighed before his voice grew more determined. "This bastard isn't getting away! Not if I can help it!"

"Good luck Mouri-san," Shizuka cheered before they both hung up. "Now," she said to herself, "lets see what we can dig up."

-00-

Megure was finishing off his fifth cup of coffee when his office door slammed open, making him spill it on the front of his shirt.

He glared at the intruder, instantly recognizing him as one of the newcomers.

Shiro gaped at him, eyes riveted on the liquid staining the front of his shirt. "I am so sorry Inspector Megure-dono."

Megure grumbled under his breath as he grabbed a tissue out of the box on his desk and started dabbing at his shirt. "It's fine. What do you need?"

Shiro shifted on his feet nervously. "Uh, I'm actually looking for Shizuka-san. Is she in here?"

Megure looked at him like he was an idiot, jerking his thumb towards the table in the corner where the consultant was watching the exchange with amusement.

"Oh. Yeah. Of course I noticed her there, I just-" Shiro rambled.

"Takahito-san," Shizuka interrupted him. "Did you find anything?"

He ducked into the office, nodding to Megure with an apologetic smile. Shizuka's eyes widened at the stack of papers in his hands.

"So," Shiro placed the pile in front of her, "I looked into everything you talked about and I found some discrepancies that I thought were interesting."

"Like what?" Shizuka flipped through the pages in awe. There was a lot of information.

"Well, when I looked through his file it said he was on vacation the last few days right? Well he made a few calls to the same number before he left but it was a number that he had never called before and he called them again one time right after he got back today. I looked up the phone and it was a burner phone so I can't really track it down or anything but the calls he made coincided with, uh," he dug through the papers and pulled out a bank statement, "this right here. He hired Mouri Kogoro on Monday, right? Well unless Mouri-san lied about the amount he was paid, Yutaka pulled way more money than he needed to. There's a good two thousand yen unaccounted for in the money he pulled and only a few hours after he withdrew it he started making those calls."

"You think they're connected," Shizuka stated.

Shiro's ears turned slightly red as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Uh, well, _I_ think so but I could be totally off. I would have asked Tetsu before bothering you with this, but I didn't know if this was one of those 'need-to-know' cases so I decided to take a shot, you know?"

"This is very good work," Shizuka gave him an impressed look. "How long did all of this take?"

Shiro waved his hand flippantly, growing progressively redder at the praise. "Just like, five hours. I told Taka- I mean, Sunoharu-san about helping you and he told me to focus on that today since it was probably something really important. And I'm a total computer nerd so it wasn't too hard to track down the stuff you asked for. Plus, once I started it was really interesting so I couldn't really stop and I ended looking up everything from the last _year._ Which reminds me, did you know that the main reason Yutaka's company was in debt was because of Negishi?"

Even Megure was staring at him now.

"Yeah, apparently Negishi was starting up some new branch in his own company and he barrowed a lot of money from Yutaka to get it off the ground. Though from the looks of things he wasn't planning on paying anything back anytime soon, and the deal was done mostly on good faith so there wasn't much in terms of legal documents. But one of the employees, this nice girl in charge of filing and stuff, heard about it and it was around that time the stocks for Yutaka's company crashed and he fell in debt."

Shizuka and Megure shared a look. "You talked with one of the employees?" Shizuka asked with interest.

"Huh?" Shiro seemed slightly thrown by the topic change. "Yeah, a few actually. Mainly the finance department, because that seemed like the best place to get the information you needed and while they were looking stuff up for me I talked with the filing girl. Narumi was her name I think." He suddenly smacked his head, making the two jump. "Damn, I was so excited about the hidden deal I totally forgot her name! She's an important witness right?"

"If we need her we can find her," Shizuka was quick to calm the nervous officer. "Takahito-san, this is very impressive. It takes most newcomers a long time to get information this detailed."

"But you said Yutaka was trying to leave the country right?" Shiro clenched his fist. "What if he got away because I didn't work hard enough? That would have totally sucked!"

"It would have," she nodded thoughtfully. She had expected him to work hard but not with this degree of tenacity. As she skimmed through the papers once more she realized he really _had_ researched the company's finances for the whole year.

The phone on Megure's desk ran shrilly, cutting through the air like a knife. Megure hastily picked it up and raised it to his ear. The only calls that came through his office were ones transferred from the front desk, to avoid prank calls and solicitors interrupting his work.

"Yes?"

"Ah, hello Inspector Megure-dono!" Mouri Kogoro's chipper voice greeted loudly on the other end. Shizuka felt her eyebrows rise at his jovial mood. It was far different from how he had sounded a few hours ago. "I've figured out the case! Yutaka Abe is definitely the criminal but we're running out of time. Please meet me at the Narita Airport, I'll explain everything there!"

"That's great!" Megure grinned, standing up to grab his jacket. "I'll be down there as soon as possible!"

Taking that as her cue Shizuka started stuffing her things into her bag, her camera clinking on the zipper of her light blue jacket. "I'm borrowing these," she lifted the stacks of information Shiro had brought her and placed it into the file she had been looking over.

"Sure! Please, take them!" Shiro nodded excitedly. "I'm going to go get Takayoshi-san and the others! Man, this is so exciting!"

Shizuka couldn't help the amused smile from forming when he rushed out of the office.

"Lets go Shizuka-san!"

"Yes Inspector!"

-00-

"It's too crowded," Megure complained as they shoved their way through the crowd at the airport.

Shizuka agreed, but at least she was small enough to slip through the smaller gaps between people. Megure had to shove his way through everyone and the group of officers behind him were doing no better.

"Mouri-san will most likely be waiting for us in the reception area," Shizuka deduced.

The noise around them practically drowned out anything they said but Shizuka's ears pricked up when she heard the low murmur of the speaker system.

"…Ab…Yutaka-sama… waiting for…ishi Masaki-sama in… front parking lot outside…airport…repeat…"

Shizuka's skidded to a halt, but Megure was in front of her and didn't notice.

"Aha!" Megure cried triumphantly. "Mouri-kun!"

Shizuka looked back and forth between Kogoro and Megure as the other officers rushed to catch up to the detective. She saw Ran standing next to her father but…

 _"Where is Shinichi?"_ she looked back at the speaker with rising dread. _"Please tell me he didn't."_

The group of officers was too far away now to hear her if she called them and there was no time to waste if her suspicions were correct. Turning on her heel she rushed towards the north parking lot.

 _"Don't be an idiot Shinichi,"_ she prayed, twisting on her foot just in time to avoid colliding with a luggage rack. She spun to the side and rushed past it.

When the doors to the front parking lot came into view she slammed through them at top speed, skidding to a halt on the pavement just outside. Her head swiveled from side to side as she forced herself to take long, even breaths to calm herself. Compared to inside the building this area was deserted. Judging by how packed the cars were she assumed that this particular area had been full for quite some time, which is why Megure and the other officers were forced to park in the south lot instead.

"Don't mess with me you little brat!"

Shizuka's head shot to the left where the infuriated cry had come from. Her feet were moving before she had even processed what she had heard.

"Do you understand the feelings of the president of a company on the verge of bankruptcy?! Hahahahah! It's his fault for being tricked! He was an idiot to fall for my plan and take out that insurance! He never even knew he was going to be killed!"

Shizuka had just turned down one of the many rows of cars when she spotted them. Time seemed to slow as she took in the sight of Yutaka Abe holding her brother against the hood of a car with his hands wrapped around the small boy's neck. Shinichi's eyes were clenched shut in pain.

Ice cold rage shot through her veins, draining the fear, as she shot forward but Shinichi had already made his move.

He twisted his head just enough that he was able to catch the soft flesh of Yutaka's hand between the thumb and index finger between his teeth. He bit down as hard as he could, making Yutaka recoil in pain. Instead of dropping him, however, Yutaka threw him into a van across from them, knocking spare tire on the back loose. Shinichi smirked as he sat up, quickly twisting the dial on his sneakers.

Shizuka had to duck down when the tire Shinichi kicked shot through the air like a rocket, smashing into Yutaka's face and ricocheting towards her. She skidded across the ground, the air whistling above her as the tire passed over her.

Shinichi froze, leg still in the air, when she lifted her head.

"…Sorry about that Shizuka," he put his foot down with a sheepish look before growing triumphant. "You missed all of the fun. I got his entire confession on tape. He was just going to leave, thinking I was just a kid, but I was able to keep him here when I proved I had a tape recorder with me. There is no way he can weasel his way out of this one."

The ice in her veins melted and she felt her shoulders relax as she stood.

Then the blood started to boil.

"You dumbass!" Shizuka snarled, picking him up by the back of his collar.

"Hey!" Shinichi complained, twisting in vain to escape her hold. "What are you doing?!"

"Do you have any idea how idiotic you are?" she demanded, twisting him so that he was looking her in the eye. Shinichi gulped at the murderous gleam in her eyes. "You confronted a _known killer_ in the body of a _child_! Even worse, when he let you go because no one would believe you, you _pulled out the god damn recording device and taunted a man with no reservations to killing!_ "

Shinichi flinched at how sharp her voice was. "I can take care of myself! Who do you think knocked him out?!"

Shizuka's anger only grew. "Do you know how fucking miraculous it is that that tire was even there?! Or how lucky you are that he threw you towards it after _strangling you?!_ What if you had hit your head when he threw you?! What if you hadn't been able to bite him, and I wasn't here, so he just. Kept. Squeezing! God damnit Shinichi, you have to stop pulling stunts like this!"

Shinichi's felt his own annoyance rise in response to her anger. He knew what he was doing! She had no right lecturing him when she went and did the same things every single day! He had taken on greater risks than this before and gotten out of them just fine on his own, no help needed!

His argument was cut off before he could even begin, however, when she suddenly sunk to her knees and pulled him into a tight hug.

"How many times are you going to tempt death before it finally decides to take you away?" her voice wavered dangerously. He could feel her arms start shaking as they clutched him tightly.

Shinichi froze, cold shock replacing his anger. His sister _never_ cried. The only time she had ever come close was when their dad had been in an accident and they didn't know if he was going to be all right, and even then she held strong whenever he was with her.

"Shizu…" he muttered softly, slowly raising his hands to hug her back.

"I know you can handle yourself, okay?" she pressed her face into his shoulder, a twisting feeling developing in her gut at the realization of just how small he really was. "And I know you don't need me looking over your shoulder after all those times I left you alone, but _damnit_ Shinichi you scare the shit out of me! You of all people know just how easy it is for people to die! And all I can think about is the 'what ifs' and how one day it might not be a 'what if' anymore!"

The tremors in her shoulders grew worse and Shinichi felt his gaze drift downwards in guilt. "…I'm not going to die, Shizu."

"You damn well better not!" She pulled back and Shinichi was relieved to see that while her eyes were slightly red she hadn't cried. "And what am I supposed to tell the police when they show up, huh? Yutaka saw you clear as day, how do I explain that?"

Shinichi scratched his cheek nervously. He hadn't thought that part through. "Well, they could just think he was seeing things? I mean, you could say you did it and he just mistook you as a child because of how small-"

Shizuka pinched both of his cheeks and pulled at them. "Don't even finish that sentence. I'm still pissed at you."

Shinichi flinched, slapping at her hands to make her let go. Her grip suddenly softened and she brushed her thumb over his cheek. Shinichi was reminded of when he would fall down as a child and she would rush over to check on him. It made him flush in embarrassment.

"Shinichi," she sighed, eyes downcast. "Please, just try to me more careful, okay?"

He fidgeted a bit, but finally looked her in the eye, gaze solemn. "I can't make any promises. Not until the men in black are gone and I get my original body back. But I promise I won't die. I will take them down and I will live, I swear."

Shizuka wasn't exactly pleased, but she knew it was the best she was going to get.

"Alright," she reluctantly agreed. "I'll just have to keep an even closer eye on you then."

"What? No! I don't need you hovering over me all of the time!"

"Well you should have thought of that before you pulled a move like that, huh? Now give me the recorder and go find Ran. I'll deal with Yutaka." She let him go. The others would find them soon and she didn't want him around when Yutaka woke up.

Shinichi ran over to where he had dropped the tape, double-checking it to make sure it wasn't damaged. He was about to hand it to her when a thought occurred to him. He peered up at her suspiciously. "You're not going to beat him up are you?"

"Tch," she looked the other way.

"I knew it!" Shinichi pulled the tape away.

"He tried to kill you!"

Shinichi hoped back when she made a grab for the recorder. "I probably gave him a concussion, isn't that enough?"

"Oh, not even slightly," she shook her head. "…But, if it bothers you that much, I won't hurt him."

"Good," Shinichi stepped towards her again, arms outreached.

"I'll just threaten him a little," she snatched the recorder from his hands.

"Shizu!"

"Relax Otouto, I've got this," she waved him away. "Now seriously, go find Ran. She's probably having a panic attack looking for you."

Shinichi's face paled at the thought. "She's going to be so mad," he whispered in horror. He was about to run off when he paused.

"Shizu…"

She looked up from where she was glaring daggers at the unconscious man. "Yeah?"

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, his back facing her. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

She sighed loudly but there was a warm smile on her lips. "Just don't do it again, alright?"

And once more he simply gave a noncommittal shrug of the shoulders before he started jogging back to the entrance.

Once he was gone Shizuka pulled her backpack off her shoulders and pulled out her handcuffs from the back pocket of her jeans. Snapping them on Yutaka's she rolled him over so she could see his beaten face before taking a picture.

"This'll be one of my favorites," she spoke lowly, the anger returning. She pulled out her cell phone and sent a text to Megure's personal phone. There was no way he would hear her if she called.

I've got Yutaka out in the north parking lot. Fifth row down, on your left.

While she waited for them to show up she debated on how to handle the situation. There wasn't much she could do until the bastard woke up and she figured out what he was going to say.

"Shizuka-san!"

She turned to see Kogoro and Megure, followed by a small battalion of blue, turn the corner towards her. They skidded to a halt at the sight of the unconscious man handcuffed on the ground.

"What the-?" Kogoro turned to the inspector but he looked just as bewildered.

"I saw him leaving," Shizuka made up quickly. "You all were to far away to hear me when I called for you and I didn't want to risk him getting away so I followed him. I started telling him all of the information we had and he snapped. I managed to record his confession but he panicked and attacked me so I knocked him out."

Megure's shock swiftly turned to concern. "Are you alright Shizuka-san?"

She spread her arms out to show her lack of injury. "He didn't lay a hand on me Inspector. I'm fine."

They surrounded the fallen body of Yutaka. Shizuka noticed Shiro talking to his friends in excited, but hushed whispers. Toki looked ecstatic while Natsuki and Nathan looked surprised. She couldn't really see Tetsu, he was standing to far behind them, so all she could make out was the top of his hair.

"You still shouldn't have gone alone," Megure lectured her.

Shizuka smiled at the irony. "You're right, I should have gotten you first. But it all turned out okay in the end."

"I suppose," he didn't seem convinced.

Yutaka suddenly groaned, making them look down at him. His eyes fluttered rapidly before he shot up with wide eyes. "A kid?!"

Shizuka almost slapped her forehead. It figured that the idiot would break that out the second he woke up.

"What?" Megure and Kogoro frowned.

"I was beaten by a kid?! Impossible! How?!"

"Inspector," Shizuka grabbed Megure's arm to get his attention. "I'm afraid I hit him pretty hard, he must be having a hard time concentrating. I think we should take him to the station before we question him."

Megure looked at the crazed man and the ugly bruise already forming over his face. "That would probably be for the best. Besides," he gestured towards the tape recorder in her hand, "we have all the evidence we really need."

Shizuka let out a relieved breath as Shiro and Natsuki's senior officers forced Yutaka to his feet. She had bought herself a little more time.

-00-

"Which room is Yutaka in?" Megure asked the officers the moment he entered the station. He and Shizuka were one of the last ones back due to the fact that it had been up to him to reassure the airport security and send Kogoro on his way for the night.

Shizuka had been very curious how her brother had gotten Kogoro to understand the trick Yutaka had used in the short timespan they had.

Nathan was suddenly pushed forward, stumbling a bit. He looked at Megure like a deer in the headlights.

"Nathan-kun helped bring him in," Hitsu Tokata, Nathan's senior officer, spoke up. "He should know."

"Y-yes," Nathan cleared his throat. "He is in interrogation room 2 Inspector but…"

"Yes?" Megure urged.

"He refuses to calm down sir," Nathan informed them. "He keeps shouting about a kid taking him down in the parking lot and he won't respond to questioning well."

"I see," Megure sighed. "Just leave him in there for a bit, but keep an officer at the door just in case."  
"Yes Inspector," Nathan saluted, looking to his senior officer. The much older, bushy browed man gave him a quick thumbs up, making Nathan smile slightly.

Megure chuckled lightly. New recruits were always so eager to please. He would write a quick report on what had happened before talking to Yukata; just enough time for the man to get his bearings.

No one noticed Shizuka slip out of the room or how during the few minutes it took for someone to be assigned to the interrogation room more than one voice could be heard from within.

It took almost twenty minutes for Yutaka Abe to calm down enough to speak properly. Megure wanted the case over and done with, but when he looked around his consultant was nowhere to be seen.

Shizuka reappeared a moment later, hands in her pockets.

"Ah, there you are Shizuka-san," Megure greeted her when she walked back in. "I was just about to go question Yutaka Abe on my own. Where were you?"

"Sorry Inspector," she smiled innocently. "I needed to use the bathroom."

Megure accepted the excuse easily enough. "Well let's get to it then."

"Mh," she nodded in agreement.

-00-

"Shizuka-san confronted him in the parking lot and when he tried to attack her she knocked him out," Megure reported as Avelia listened intently. "We brought him back into the station before questioning and I allowed him some time to regain himself. The blow to the head he suffered had left him confused."

Avelia nodded understandingly. "I heard him when they brought him in. He was saying a kid took him down?"

"Yes, well," Megure scratched the back of his head, "when he finally calmed down we got more details out of him. He explained how he had hired a random homeless man off the street to go around posing as Negishi the last day Mouri-kun was supposed to follow him. Yutaka killed Negishi the day before, aroud one in the morning, before hiding his body in the pyre that was already being built for the Fire Festival. We have yet to find the man he hired, but from the sounds of it he had no idea why he was hired. He probably just needed the money and decided not to ask questions," he explained before giving the Chief an amused grin. "When I asked him about his confession in the parking lot he said he had thought Shizuka was a kid because of how small she was."

Avelia suddenly burst out laughing. Megure couldn't help letting out a few chuckles himself.

"Maybe that's why she hit him so hard!" Avelia cackled. "Oh she must have been mad!"

"She did seem a bit angry when we found her," Megure recalled. "I thought it had just been because he had tried to attack her."

"Oh, that is perfect," Avelia wiped at the corners of his eyes. "I am never going to let her live that one down."

Megure shook his head with an exasperated smile. It was good to see the other man relaxing every once in awhile but he had seen the spats he and Shizuka would get into. They were like children sometimes.

Avelia let out a few more chuckles before he finally calmed down, but his eyes were bright with mischief. "Is there anything else you would like to report?"

Megure thought about it. "There was one thing. Shizuka-san had asked one of your new officers for help looking up information about Yutaka and his company."

Avelia's eyebrows shot up. "She asked? Who was it?"

"Takahito Shiro," he replied. "And he did a fantastic job. He definitely went above and beyond in his research and Shizuka-san informed me that it was because of that information that she was able to get Yukata to crack. When she told Yutaka everything she knew he thought we had figured everything out and that there was nothing else to hide."

"Really?" Avelia leaned back in his chair with a proud grin.

Megure matched it with an impressed smile of his own. "You certainly picked a good batch Avelia. Those kids are quite something."

"I can't believe I found them all together," Avelia shook his head in disbelief. "And that they were already on good terms with each other! Lady luck seems to be on our side as of late."

"More so than usual," Megure agreed. "Other than that I have a few officers scouring the streets for the man that acted as Negishi that final day. If we find him it will be impossible for Yutaka to get out of this."

"Good," Avelia nodded. "You did good work today Inspector. You're free to go for the night."

"Thank you," Megure tipped his hat in goodbye. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

When Megure left the office he was surprised to see Shizuka leaning against the wall waiting for him.

"I heard laughing," she grimaced, making Megure chuckle.

"I'm afraid he won't be forgetting this incident for a long time."

She sighed and fell in step with him as he made his way back to his office to grab his things. "Of course not. I would expect no less."

"Is that why you were waiting for me?" he wondered. She usually left as soon as physically possible once their shifts were over.

"No actually," she shrugged. "Toki-san and her friends rescheduled the dinner we were supposed to have the other night and she is inviting everyone that is free to come. I was wondering if you would like to join us?"

Megure tried his best not to let his jaw drop in shock but it was difficult. He hadn't known Shizuka for long but even he noticed how she avoided as much social interaction as she could as thought the action itself was diseased. He was touched that she was inviting him to join, even if it was something she was attending with others anyway.

"I would love to join you all for dinner," he spoke quickly when her expression seemed to tighten unsurely. "I still haven't gotten to know our new members very well and they seem like quite the lively bunch. Oh, but I'll have to call my wife first to let her know not to wait up for me."

It was Shizuka's turn to be shocked. "You're married Inspector?"

He blushed brightly with a large grin as he fingered the edges of his hat. "Ahahaha, yes I am. To a very beautiful woman! I have no idea why she picked me, but I love her."

He was surprised when Shizuka gave him a warm smile. It was the most genuine smile he had ever gotten out of her. "That sounds wonderful."

"Oh, she is," he assured her. He continued to ramble on about his dearly beloved wife, even as they made their way to join the others, but Shizuka didn't seem to mind. She seemed happy to listen, in fact.

"Shizuka-senpai! And Inspector Megure!" Toki waved at them, smile growing even wider when she noticed the detective. "Are you coming as well?"

"If you don't mind," he replied.

"Course not. The more the merrier!" Toki cheered.

Shizuka looked over the group in front of her. She was surprised to note that she recognized more than half the faces.

" _Damn,"_ she realized, unable to feel any real annoyance. _"Avelia's plan is working."_

 **Dooonnnnee~! I cut this in half yesterday and yet this chapter is even longer than it had been before I cut it! Oh well, I accept it! After all, this gets my word count up to NaNoWriMo standards! Whoo! I hoped you guys like this chapter! I didn't really like the beginning but I love the last half. I think it sets all of the characters up pretty well if I do say so myself.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Extra:**

 **So while I was away from my computer my sister came in and typed random lines throughout the chapter. I took them all out (you'll see why in a second, and I really hope I didn't miss any) but she made me promise to bring them up since Avelia is actually a character she has allowed me to use that we have created for the last, I don't know, four years? Anyway, here are a few little extra, silly moments of what could have (but never would have) happened.**

-00-

"Uh," Shizuka eloquently stated.

Suddenly, Avelia leapt out from the bushes, with a mic in his hand, "Caaaannn you feeeeeelll the loOoOoOvvvee toniiiiiggghhht!"

"Avelia?!" Shizuka shrieked as they all jumped in shock. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I just couldn't help myself!" he wailed. "I mean, I want you to make friends but where will that leave me? I'll be like a grandpa whose kids never come to see him anymore!"

"I don't care!" Shizuka jumped up and kicked him in the face, making him fall back into the bushes. "Can't you see we're having a moment here?!"

"She just kicked the Chief," Natsuki whispered in horror.

"She just kicked the Chief," Nathan covered his cheeks with his hands, doing a surprisingly good imitation of the painting "The Scream".

"She really is part squirrel," Toki breathed in awe.

Shiro was holding on to Tetsu, who had fainted from fright after Avelia's entrance, trying to wake him up in vain.

"But Shizukaaaaa~" Avelia whined.

"No!" she snapped. "These are my first fans! Not my Dad's, not my Mom's, not my brother's, they are mine! This is a huge moment for me!"

"B-but," he looked downtrodden. "I've been your fan for years!"

"You don't count!" Shizuka crossed her arms. "You're a fan of anyone at the station, and you remind me way to much of my mother to make me think your approval is anything other than biased. Now crawl back into that bush and let. Me. Have. My. Moment!"

-00-

"Death. Death everywhere." Avelia shook his head, "Shizuka. I blame you."

"Why?" She tilted her head, completely oblivious to the black-cloaked figure that hovered above her wherever she went.

"You literally have Death following you around wherever you go!" Avelia gestured madly to the skeletal figure. "I've seen it around the rest of your family too! Seriously, you guys should go get an exorcism or something, that is just not normal!"

Shizuka sniffed prissily at him. "You're just jealous."

"Of what?!"

"I'm the main character."

"…Low blow Kudo. Low blow."


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry this took so long, I'll try to be better about updating.**

 **I always debate with myself about whether to have Shizuka participate in Shinichi's cases (which of course she will for a lot of them, but dear lord there are** _ **a lot of them**_ **) so for all of the ones that don't have major plot significance I'll go off of reader's choice. If you guys want to see her helping out in a particular case or you want to see her off doing something else (another case, background stuff, anything really) I can work with both. Plot stuff is already decided but I like your guy's input, it makes things a lot more fun.**

 **I'll always tell you guys what case is coming up next, so you can tell me what you'd like to see. Depending on response level or plot interference I might not be able to do everything you ask of me, but I can try my best. I like working with you guys on stuff anyway, so feel free to offer anything up! (Oc's are also still welcome by the way. Criminals, victims, officers, random pedestrians, the works.)**

 **turquoise ninja 012: Geez, you have no idea how much it means to hear someone compliment my writing like that. I love writing, and it's so amazing to hear someone say they love what I write. I hope you like it when I bring in their parents, I'm hoping to delve a lot into the inter family relationships. Thank you so much for always giving me such nice reviews!**

 **Guest: My greatest challenge in this story, I think, is going to be filling in the gosh darn plot holes. I didn't notice too many of them as I was reading and watching the series but now that I'm writing they are a lot more than I thought. Curses! But it'll be fun. And thank you for the kindly remarks. It took me awhile to choose her name, I'm glad it fits so well! Thanks for the review.**

 **MidoriEmerald13: Gahhh, you guys are all so nice with you're comments! Thank you for your reviews, they really mean a lot. A mix of Toki and Shizuka… That sounds like a fantastic personality to have! Also, I have another long chapter for you. Happy Valentines Day!**

 **JarayZ: Ah yes, the bathroom. I'm becoming really fond of that and I've only used the excuse a few times so far. Detailing clothes has always been a weak point for me; I'm trying to fix that, so I'm glad you were able to visualize them alright. As for the OC's, I'm happy you like them so far! Thank you for the fantastic reviews!**

 **908-03: …The compliments!... Can't… take it… to much… happiness….! Seriously though, thank you. I'll try to stay good about not overshadowing everyone, so again just give a shout out if you notice anything off. And that scene is definitely going to be written. Canon or not, I've yet to decide, but it's happening. As forewarning, Shinichi isn't actually in this chapter because the sibling's lives are so busy right now, but he'll be in a lot more in the next chapter. Thank you for the fantastic review!**

 **Lance Rowlen: Wait no longer! (sorry for the long wait beforehand) And thank you very much! I hope you like it!**

 **Chibianimefan26: Unfortunately, there isn't really any brother/sister interaction in this chapter, but it will be coming! And oh, how it will be emotional. Thanks for your adorable review! I'm glad you like it so much!**

 **Anyway enough rambling. Please enjoy this next chapter! And happy Valentine's Day!**

 **-00-**

 **Chapter 9: Breakthroughs and Odd… Friends?**

 **-00-**

Inspector Megure cracked his knuckles with a victorious grin. It was one of those rare days when he was actually able to keep up with his reports per case. Even better, as long as no calls came in before he put on his jacket he would be able to take an early lunch.

"Done so soon?" Shizuka looked up from her table. She was looking over the cases they had gotten over the last week, not bothering to even glance at Kazimir's file for the rest of the day. She spent the entire weekend staking out the man's house and company with only dead ends to show for it.

"Yes, and I am planning on actually enjoying my food today. Care to join me?"

Shizuka shook her head with a slight smile but moved to follow him as he put on his jacket. "Are we going anywhere in particular?"

Megure thought about it. "Something opened up just down the street but I haven't gone by yet."

"Oh, I noticed that too," she recalled. "I think it's a sushi place."

"Sushi sounds good."

They were barely half way out the door when a phone rang. They froze, shoulders slumping, but when they looked at the desk Megure's phone was silent and still.

"Ah," Shizuka's hand flew to the pockets of her brown cargo pants. "That's me. Sorry Inspector."

Megure rubbed at his forehead in relief.

"You go on ahead," she dug out her phone. "I'll be right there."

"Alright," Megure nodded. "Shall I order for you?"

"Sure," she shrugged. "I'm allergic to coconut but other than that I'm not picky. Surprise me."  
"See you there," Megure ducked his head as she looked at the caller ID. He felt his eyebrow rise as her face lit up but he didn't ask. They could talk over food and he wasn't going to tempt fate by staying in the office any longer.

Once he was out of ear shot Shizuka flipped her phone open. "Madoki Shizua, may I ask who is calling?" she chirped brightly, her normally low-pitched voice reaching a much higher octave.

"Hey Shizua-chan," an older, female voice greeted. "It's Danny from Hotoharu electronics."

"Danny-chan! It's so great to hear from you!"

"Haha, you're always so energetic Shizua-chan. Anyways, I found out about some more information that might help you with your story."

Shizuka was half tempted to pump her fist in the air triumphantly. Parker Danielle had been Hotoharu Kazimir's secretary and she knew practically all there was to know about the man. She had refused to give up any information on him to the vultures working for the big news company but Madoki Shizua, the small freelance writer, was able to worm her way into Danny's good graces. Sure, it had taken Shizuka a good week of constant follow-ups and over exaggerated positivity but hopefully it would be worth it in the end. People always tended to overlook the secretaries, even though they were often the ones with the most information to offer.

"Oh, but you've already given me so much," Shizuka said gratefully. "I thought there wasn't anything left!"

"I did too," Danny replied and Shizuka could just barely make out the sounds of typing in the background. "But Hotoharu-san's insurance company stopped by earlier to talk to the higher ups because they found something new. Apparently, Hershel Drake owned a small house that had Hotoharu-san's name on the lease as well. Hershel-san's Will stated that it was to be left completely to Hotoharu-san in case anything ever happened to him alongside a rather large sum of money from life insurance. They were discussing what to do with the inheritance left by both of them since almost everything was signed away to each other."

"A house that no one knew about," Shizuka breathed. She finally had a lead, and this one sounded promising. "That… could be exactly what I am looking for. Have they gone through it?"

"No, not yet. By legal rights they have to wait until someone has claimed it or a certain period of time has passed. I'm not really sure how long but it doesn't sound like it'll be any time soon."

Shizuka nodded smoothly even though she new the other woman wouldn't see it. Madoki Shizua would nod; she was a very physically emotive person. "This is perfect! I'm sure that is where they spent most of their time together, so I'll be able to find a lot to fill up my story. You have no idea how grateful I am to you Danny-chan."

There was a light laughter on the other end of the line. "I'm happy to help in anyway I can Shizua-chan. Hotoharu-san was my boss for a long time and I even knew Hershel-san a bit too. Neither of them were the nicest of people but they certainly don't deserve to have their lives swept away like this. I wish more news papers and channels would focus on the things you are looking for."

Shizuka would have felt bad if it wasn't for the fact that she really was writing an article about the lives of the two murdered men. Madoki Shizua was one of her most used aliases, and as such it needed to be authentic. An online blog filled to the brim with criminal investigations and, most of all, the stories of the victims. It often made people close to the case more willing to open up to her and it gave her an outlet for the anger she felt over the crimes. Besides, she truly did believe that their stories should be told. They didn't deserve to be forgotten.

"This will help immensely, I'm sure," Shizuka rushed over to her little side table. "I'll have to talk to the insurance company immediately. You wouldn't happen to have an address would you? If I could use it as a reference it would give me more credibility."

"You're in luck. I overheard them talking about it. I've actually just finished faxing over the information now so you should have it soon. If you're home, that is. Otherwise, it will be there when you return. Just be prepared for a long trip."

"Oh?" Shizuka hummed, putting her notebook back down. "Why is that?"

"The house is just outside of Osaka. I suggest taking a train, the driving can be terrible."

She was a little disheartened by the news. Who knew how long it would take her to go through the house and possibly track down any new leads she found? She had a commitment now with the department so she would need a set time span to tell Avelia and Megure and she really didn't want to leave her brother alone for any extended period of time.

But this was the first real lead she had found since she started investigating. The other officers on the case couldn't even find any shell casings or gun residue from the room she had seen the shooter in. She had spent the entire weekend searching for information on Kazimir, questioning the people who new him, digging through his trash (which reminded her that she should probably at least try to wash Shinichi's jacket), everything and anything she could think of but it lead to dead end after dead end. The only hint she had was the anonymous tip Avelia had gotten that put him on Kazimir's tracks in the first place, but that had been made from a pay phone (which she thought was suspicious in its own right, but there wasn't much she could do about it).

"I'll definitely find time to go, this is to big to pass up. Thank you Danny-chan."

"Don't mention it. And please, would you mind leaving my name out of your article? I'd really prefer it if my new boss didn't know I was eavesdropping on everything."

Shizuka laughed. "I'll make sure to be discreet and I will never mention your involvement. It's the least I can do for all the help you've given me."

"Thanks. I have to get back to work now, but good luck with the story. Let me know how everything goes!"

"Of course! I'll talk to you later. Kisses!"

She closed her phone with a snap, her lips twisting into a deranged sort of grin.

Things were looking up.

Kazimir had either been a very paranoid man, or the people that cleaned up after his death were impossibly good. This was one of the rare times she had come up with nothing so soon in an investigation and overall, the whole thing seemed like an uphill battle that didn't even have a finish line. Investigations like this took time, a lot of time, but already having no leads to work with, big or small, this soon in the game did not bode well.

But now she had something. A perfect hide away that was hard to find, with very few people knowing about it, and the address was waiting for her at home. The familiar rush of adrenaline she felt whenever she was tracking someone down hit her and she felt giddy. Letting it get to her would make her rush, so she had to calm down, but for a few moments she would allow herself this victory.

"Uh, Shizuka-san?"

She twitched, turning her head towards the open door. Nathan was looking in at her with a perplexed expression. There was a small stack of files in his hands.

"Hello Collin-san," she greeted neutrally. How long had he been standing there? "

"Call me Nathan," he corrected, fully stepping into the room now. His expression remained the same. "I'm still readjusting to the last name basis."

Shizuka nodded, thinking back on what Avelia had told her about him. Nathan's parents came from America and Japan (she wasn't sure which one came from where), but they got divorced early on and he was constantly moved between the two countries from a young age until he turned eighteen. She could understand the difficulties of switching between cultures on a regular basis.

"Very well. Was there something you needed?" she wondered, casually slipping her phone back into her pocket and grasping the straps of her camera. A quick escape was looking nice.

Nathan tilted his head slightly. "I was just dropping off some paperwork for Inspector Megure to sign. I noticed you were on the phone?"

The way he phrased it, with a confused twist of the mouth, made her wonder exactly how much he heard. Not that he would have to hear much. Madoki Shizua and Kudo Shizuka were two very different people, from the way they acted to the way they spoke.

"I was following up on an investigation," she offered, measuring his reaction. Everyone in the precinct knew she had aliases, with her track record it was impossible not to have at least a few. That didn't mean she wanted any one knowing about them.

Nathan simply nodded after a brief pause, moving to place the files in the intended pile. "A case with the Inspector?"

Shizuka shook her head, walking towards the door. "For the Chief. Have a good afternoon Nathan-san."

"Enjoy your lunch Shizuka-san."

Quickening her steps she rushed out of the door, the joy of a breakthrough not yet out of her system regardless of what Nathan might have heard. Besides, Shizua wasn't a top-secret alias, not really. A few people knowing about it wouldn't be a problem and any good officer new better than to go spreading that kind of information around.

She was just a few steps from the exit when Avelia stuck his head out of his office.

"Get me something on the way back!" he called pleadingly.

Shizuka rolled her eyes but shot him a quick thumbs up. She was in a good mood; she would take pity on him.

-00-

What was supposed to be an hour lunch ended up lasting until the sun had set and it was time to go home. The little sushi shop they had gone to had only been open for a week and it had already faced its first crime. Shizuka felt kind of bad for it.

Thankfully no one had died. One of the other customers, an old man with a balding head and rotund belly, had been poisoned. The poison had been slow acting enough for Megure and Shizuka to stabilize him before the ambulance arrived, but it had been a close call and during the time it had taken to save him the murderer (who hadn't succeeded in killing someone, but the attempt counted in her opinion) had taken the opportunity to flee. There had been enough cameras in the surrounding area to accurately place their killer but…

A tall woman with her hair tucked up into a hat (making it difficult to place color or length), large shades (to hide her eyes and a good portion of her upper face), a long petty coat (covering most of her body), and large boots (which looked far to big to be her actual size). Nothing unique enough to give her away and besides the cameras in the actual restaurant there was no other way to track her. The only thing she had ordered was a cup of coffee and she had paid with cash. Whoever she was, she was good. It would be hard to find her, but not impossible.

This kind of job was right up Shizuka's alley.

"When are we getting the feed from those traffic cams?" she wondered, methodically working her way through a small pile of photos they had gotten from the other customers. Birthday pictures, family photos, and 'selfies' were always useful when trying to find someone that didn't want to be seen. It's hard to plan for things like that no matter how good you are.

"Not until tomorrow," Niko tagged another box with a large, square label with practiced ease. He was one of the few officers Shizuka dealt with on a near daily basis. As one of the main officers in charge of the evidence locker he knew everyone in the precinct and everyone knew him. "The whole intersection over there was under construction today. The cameras were turned on and off for testing so who knows how useful they will even be."

"I doubt that is a coincidence," Shizuka muttered, jotting the information down in her notebook. The small booklet was getting thin in its number of available pages. She would have to switch it out soon.

"Can't say for sure," Niko shrugged, stacking two boxes on top of each other and picking them up. He had to stretch his neck to peer over the top. Shizuka had been pleased to note that he was shorter than she was by a solid inch. "The construction company is completely legitimate and that road has needed work for years now."

"I've noticed," she nodded. The potholes that had been lining the roads were getting progressively bigger and it had all looked like an accident waiting to happen. Not a road anyone wanted around, especially when it was so close to a very busy police station. "I'm done with these pictures. Do you need them for anything before I put them away?"

"Nope," Niko made a popping sound on the 'p'. "I've basically been hovering over your shoulder as you went through them so I already know what's all there. Go ahead and bag them."

"Alright," she nodded. "I have a couple more pictures on my camera as well but those are going to take longer to develop than these."

"You should just start using the camera on your phone like a normal person."

Shizuka made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat, prompting a laugh from the dark haired man.

"Just a suggestion," he placated with an amused grin.

Shizuka rolled her eyes. Her phone buzzed on the table next to her. She glanced at it, the name on the screen drawing out a heavy sigh.

"Work?" Niko wondered.

"Not really."

Ikezawa Yuuko had been texting Shizuka almost relentlessly since the day she had called to check up on the actress. Yoko and Fujie-san would keep in touch every few days or so, but Yuuko seemed to be aiming for an hourly basis. Shizuka wasn't entirely sure why, and all Yuuko would tell her was that they were destined to be friends.

Shizuka was very doubtful.

 _Y: I texted you hours ago!_

 _S: I'm afraid I have been working for most of the day and was unable to check my messages. Did you need something Ikezawa-san?_

 _Y: Yuuko-chan! Ikezawa-san makes me feel old. And I'm not going to repeat everything, just read through what I sent you!_

Shizuka rolled her eyes but scrolled up to see what the actress wanted. Her eyes widened.

S: I am not going to one of your photo shoots. I have work on a regular basis and I have no interest in the acting or modeling worlds.

Y: Oh come on, it isn't nearly as bad as you apparently think it is. And take a few days off, I'm sure your boss will understand!

Shizuka had no doubt Avelia would understand. In fact, he would probably be the first to kick her out the door.

S: A few days? I don't think so.

Y: Well we're not going to drive there and back in one day. It's all the way in Osaka! Don't be ridiculous.

Shizuka stared at the screen disbelievingly. This didn't bode well. Her luck was never this good. Hell, the Kudo family luck could be downright brutal at times. Yet in a single day she had gotten the breakthrough she had needed as well as the means to follow through with the lead without her actions being seen as suspicious.

Her face twisted slightly.

Lucky breaks like these always came with equally bad karma. Always. But could she really pass up this chance? Whoever was covering up Kazimir's activities would find the house sooner than later, she was sure, and she needed to get there before they did.

Her fingers twitched. S: I suppose I could spare some time, but I will have to clear it with the Chief first.

The reply was immediate. Y: Perfect! I'll have the driver pick you up at around seven on Saturday. Everything will be finished by Tuesday and there will be plenty of time to go shopping! You should try to get some extra days off too, there is this amazing shopping area I need to show you. It'll take a few days to get through everything.

"Ugh," Shizuka groaned softly. S: Very well, I will see you then. Thank you for your generous offer.

Yuuko sent an odd little picture of a smiling face. Shizuka shook her head in exasperation. Yuuko was a very confident, and fairly pushy type of person but she had a good heart. From what Yoko had told her, the other actress often visited Fujie-san and they were on very good speaking terms now. She also made sure to text Yoko as often as she did Shizuka, regardless of their rivalry.

"It's getting late," Niko piped up from where he had been putting the bag full of photos away. "I'm clocking out as soon as my replacement shows up, what about you?"

"As long as a something doesn't happen in the next five minutes I will be leaving soon as well. Thank you for your help."

"I just walked around and put stuff away," he waved his hand. "Not much help, but you're welcome either way. I'll see you later Shizuka-san."

"Have a good night."

She walked out of the evidence locker, her camera swaying as she moved. She placed a steadying hand on it, absentmindedly fiddling with the strap.

Most of the officers she was working with on Kazimir's case were very dedicated to finding the shooter. They seemed like respectable people, but could she trust them with the information she found? One leak, by accident or not, could alert the men in black. The second they realized they were being investigated they would be on the look out. They may even have spies on the force, but that was stretching it. They were obviously good, but they couldn't be that powerful. Right?

She shook her head as she entered Megure's office and took a seat at her table. Megure looked up from his paperwork and gave her a quick nod in greeting but left her to her own devices.

She could just tell Avelia, but then he would realize this was the reason she wanted on the case so badly. He would get curious and as the Chief he would have to take action if he suspected anything. That would make him a target as well. The same could be said about Megure, or any of the other detectives and officers. And if any of them did something that would somehow lead them back to her brother…

No, she couldn't tell anyone outside of Shinichi and Agasa. There were to many unknowns and the risks wouldn't be worth it. Not yet, at least.

Megure cracked his knuckles as he set his pen down.

Shizuka looked at the empty green bin next to a full blue one on his desk. "Did you finish everything?"

"Miraculously," he grinned. "We should get out of here before fate decides to ruin this beautiful moment."

Shizuka smirked and moved to follow after him. Ever since that first night she had worked with him he had gotten into the habit of driving her home whenever they got off late regardless of how many times she insisted she could make it just fine on her own. Still, she felt thankful for his concern.

"I will need to speak to the Chief about this as well, but I will be gone for a few days starting on Saturday. Yuuko-san has invited me to go to Beika with her and I have business to take care of there as well."

There. She wasn't lying.

"Yuuko-san?" Megure seemed surprised. "Ikezawa Yuuko?"

"The very same," Shizuka nodded, matching his pace as they moved towards the parking lot. "I'm not sure how but we seem to have become friends of some sort."

"Huh," Megure rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I don't see any problem with it. The newbies can take over some of your duties, it'll be a good learning experience for them."

"I'm sure they'll be overjoyed."

Hand cramps were no laughing matter. They _hurt_ , and if she still got them after years of experience then they were practically doomed.

Megure laughed. "We'll see about that."

-00-

"You think you'll find something there?" Agasa questioned, setting a steaming cup of hot chocolate in front of her and taking a seat across the small dining table. It was midnight and Shizuka's mind had been turning back and forth too much for her to be able to sleep. So, in true Kudo fashion, she had snuck over to the professor's house to steal a cup of his delicious hot chocolate.

Agasa had often joked that if he ever needed to catch one of them all he would have to do was put a cup of it underneath a box and they would be trapped in minutes. Yusaku was ashamed to admit this had actually happened to him when he was younger.

"I hope so," Shizuka sighed, blowing lightly on the steam. "Something doesn't feel right about all of this."

Agasa took a sip of his own drink, coffee as opposed to hot chocolate. "Well, a lot of strange things have been happening lately. I'd be worried if you felt good about any of it."

"That's true," she conceded. "But I don't think that's it. The poison that shrunk Shinichi is definitely unnatural, but the criminals are still criminals regardless. I've seen the work of a few syndicates and I've never had anything like this."

"Like what?" Agasa wondered. "I thought you said you couldn't find anything on the men in black."

"And that's what's weird," she stared at him, a furrow in her brow. "When it comes to groups like this there is never _nothing_. Businesses that have no connections to crime still have a few skeletons in their closet, but from everything I've found Kazimir is completely clean. No signs of anything illegal anywhere, not even little tax evasions. Professor, he didn't even have a _parking ticket_. Whoever these men in black are, they are smart. And that kind of smart brings power along with it."

Agasa scratched at his moustache, his eyes crinkling worriedly. "How powerful, do you think?"

"I don't know," she shook her head, eyes down. Her fingers were wrapped around the small cup completely, attempting to draw out as much warmth as they could. "Powerful enough to create a an unknown drug that can actually _shrink_ a person. I'm sure Shinichi is starting to realize this as well."

"Hmmm," Agasa lifted his cup to his lips but aborted the motion halfway. They sat in thoughtful silence until their drinks had cooled.

Shizuka released a hefty sigh. "Well, we'll just have to see."

She downed the remains of her hot chocolate and thanked the professor when he reached out to take her cup.

"Go get some sleep Shizuka, you've got an early start tomorrow."

"Yeah," she nodded dully, giving him a quick side hug to show her gratitude. Agasa Hakase was the Kudo family's greatest ally and saving grace. They would all be lost without him. "You mind if I camp out here for the night?"

"Of course not," he shook his head with a small grin, returning the hug. "Just don't touch any of my experiments."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not my parents, Professor. All of your things will remain intact."

He laughed and ushered her out of the kitchen before he started on the dishes. He was always a night owl; she doubted he would be going to bed any time soon.

"Night Professor."

"Goodnight Shizuka."

-00-

The next two days passed in a blur. The cases came relentlessly, leaving the entire first division with barely enough time to breath. All of the senior officers and detectives were beginning to wear down and the newbies looked about ready to drop any second.

When she had time to stop and breath she felt bad for the overworked officers and made the attempt to help them out where she could. It helped her bond with a lot of people as well, which could be counted as good or bad. There wasn't much time for _'nice and sociable'_ when you were faced with back-to-back murders, thefts, and various other crimes. She absentmindedly hoped she hadn't said anything overly insulting to anyone, but at this point she didn't really care. She hadn't been able to spend any time with Shinichi either. Her brother was busy helping Kogoro find a missing person and whenever she was home he was gone and vice versa.

It was getting close to the day she would leave for Osaka but with how crazy the station was she was starting to doubt if she should go. Every set of helping hands was useful in situations like this and losing a pair could cause problems even if she was just a consultant.

"…I'll ask Avelia," she mumbled to herself as she rushed down the hall with a stack of folders in her grasp. She had left her camera in Megure's office so that it wouldn't get in the way of her errands but it left her feeling off balance.

She slid on her heels as she entered the evidence locker. She could just barely make out Niko's hair from behind a large stack of files that matched the ones in her hands. A few other officers were scattered around the room as well, all focused intently on the papers in front of them.

"Put them over there," Niko called out, waving his hand above his head and gesturing towards a stack that looked much less precarious than the others.

Shizuka placed them down and sent him a sympathetic look as she peered past the boxes and papers. He looked exhausted and the work just kept piling up.

Niko glanced up from the corner of his eye, his hands working rapidly on organizing a large box of evidence. He let out a low whistle once he recognized her.

"Wow, you look like shit."

Shizuka's sympathy drained as she scowled at him. "Thanks," she said shortly. "You don't look so hot yourself."

Niko laughed wearily. "I guess we both look pretty bad. We're going to need a long break after all of this."

"Ah," she nodded, agreeing. "See you later."

"Have fun," Niko spared a few seconds to wave as she left.

Shizuka waved back and rushed out. She ducked and dodged the officers in her way as she moved back to Megure's office.

"Shizuka!" A familiar voice called. She looked over to see Avelia sticking his head out of another office. "Over here!"

Changing direction she ducked past Nathan as he jogged back and forth between departments and gave Toki and encouraging pat on the shoulder as she passed. They were much paler than usual but they seemed determined which would go a long way in keeping them energized.

"Chief?" Shizuka stopped in front of him, tipping her head so she could see him clearly.

He looked around him to make sure no one was looking and Shizuka felt her shoulders tense. Before he could even open his mouth she attempted to jump back and flee. Unfortunately, he knew her better than most, and the moment she tried to escape his arm shot out and snatched the back of her hooded t-shirt.

"Urk," she scrambled to escape.

"I've got a problem," Avelia said casually, as though he didn't have her in a near strangle hold. "Shall we go to my office?"

"N…O…"

"Great, let's go."

Shizuka glared at the traitorous officers that looked the other way when they passed. She reached back to claw at Avelia's hands but he would simply tug her hood just enough to make her stumble. Once they entered his office he nudged her in front of him and let go. She whirled around but it was too late, he had already closed the door behind him and now stood in her way like an impenetrable wall.

"Please, take a seat," he smiled cordially.

Shizuka shifted on the balls of her feet, unwilling to comply but knowing she didn't have much of a choice. She hated it when he pulled stunts like this.

"Fine," she sighed.

Avelia grinned brightly and moved towards his desk once she had sat down in the painful rock solid chair in front of his desk. Sitting in his own chair he flipped open the folder that was at the top of his cluttered mess.

"Don't look so irritated, this will help you too, in the long run," he tapped the folder. "I just need you to do a bit of recon and gather some evidence for me. Under the radar of course."

"Of course," Shizuka muttered, crossing her legs.

This exact same scenario had played out not too long ago, when she had first returned to Beika. That time she had ended up spying on a lovers tryst before they both got shot and she was sent on the wild goose chase for their killers.

"And," Avelia stretched the word out like it was rubber, drawing her interest, "if you do this for me the work load should shoot down by about, lets say, 30%? Which would really take a lot of stress out of everyone's days and possible leave you with enough free time to take a few days off to relax. Should you need to, of course."

"Of course," Shizuka repeated dumbly. She wasn't sure why she was surprised that he already knew about her plans with Yuuko.

"So," he handed her the folder, his face reverting to its standard business mode, "here is everything you need to know. Memorize it and leave it on my desk. You can recruit help, which I recommend, but try to avoid taking anyone who is already working on a case. Megure already knows you're going to be busy doing something for me."

' _So that's why he said I was getting off early today,'_ Shizuka realized, thinking back on her morning conversation with the Inspector. "I'll see what I can do."

"Stay safe," Avelia turned somber. "You've done bigger, but this is no small time job Shizuka. If you need help, get it."

"…I will," she promised, looking him directly in the eye. "I promise."

Avelia stared at her for a moment longer, gauging her honesty, before nodding. "Good. I'd guess you have about an hour or so before Megure gets back from patrol. Enough time to read through that, at least. I won't be around much the next few days, there are a lot of statements and conferences this week, so if you have any questions ask Satou. She's running this case."

"Miwako's back?" Shizuka smiled slightly. "I thought she was undercover?"

Avelia didn't respond, just tapped the folder in her hands. Shizuka felt her eyebrow twitch when he chose to walk out the door instead of answer her.

"Great," she sighed, standing up and picking a more comfortable chair to read in. "Lets see…"

-00-

"…Do you think we're in trouble?" Toki whispered conspiratorially, her lunch lifted up to act as a barrier in front of her face.

Shiro laughed awkwardly, but his voice was just as hushed. "Of course not! I mean, we haven't done anything wrong, right? Right?"

" _I_ didn't do anything wrong," Natsuki clicked her chopsticks. " _You two_ on the other hand…"

Toki and Shiro shared an affronted look before twisting their shoulders to exclude the other woman from their conversation.

"Maybe she's not actually looking at us," Nathan offered sensibly. "She could simply be thinking and we just so happen to be in her line of view."

Toki glanced up, her eyes locking with steely blue. Giving a small 'eep', she ducked her head back down. "Nope," she said quickly. "Definitely not. She's totally staring at us."

They were all glad Tetsu wasn't with them (he had gone on patrol with his leading officer and had yet to return); he would have been a mess.

"Why don't you just go and, oh I don't know, ask her?" Natsuki rolled her eyes.

Shiro snorted. "Easy for you to- holy shit! She's coming over!"

"Act natural!" Toki hissed frantically.

Natsuki resisted the urge to smack her head on the table when Toki proceeded to stick her feet up on the table and begin chewing on a toothpick, attempting and failing miserably to appear 'cool'. Shiro was trying to relax but his shoulders were hitched up to his ears and even Nathan was sitting up straighter (if that was even possible).

"Idiots," she muttered under her breath.

"Good afternoon," their visitor greeted once they reached the group's table.

"Shizuka-senpai," Toki greeted in an abnormally gruff voice, her eyes half lidded with disinterest. "How can we help you?"

Shizuka felt her eyebrows rise at the odd behavior. "…I was wondering if I could speak with Nathan-san and Miura-san, if they had the time."

Toki suddenly sputtered, almost tipping right out of her chair. "Wha- _Nathan-san?!_ No fair!"

"Excuse me?" Shizuka wondered.

Toki shot to her feet, waving an accusing finger in Nathan's face. His nose scrunched in disgust as he leaned away from the intruding digit. "I still have to remind you to call me Toki-chan, but you already call Nathan by his first name?! I thought we had something special!"

Natsuki watched with mild interest as Shizuka's face darkened in annoyance for a moment before reverting back to its usual polite stoicism.

"I'm sorry," she offered. "If it bothers you that much I can call you by your first name as well Kiyo-san."

Toki blanched. "Oh geez, don't call me _that_. Everyone calls me Toki!"

"But wouldn't it be 'unfair' of me to call you by a nickname when I do not do so with others?"

"Ugh," Toki slumped in defeat. "Well, I mean, I guess so, but they don't really have awesome nicknames like I do."

"Right," Shizuka deadpanned. "Well, while this is a very interesting conversation, I really do need to speak with Nathan-san and Miura-san."

"Of course," Nathan agreed quickly, rising to his feet before Toki could start speaking again. "Tetsu isn't back from patrol yet, but I am free for the next thirty minutes."

"Thank you." Shizuka bowed her head slightly and stepped aside to let Nathan move past her. "I'll speak with Miura-san when he gets back then. Enjoy the rest of your lunch."

Shizuka nodded towards them before walking away with Nathan at her side.

"Pft," Toki slumped over the table. "…To much?"

Shiro gave her an awkward smile. "A little bit."

"Oh no, I disagree," Natsuki smirked. "I think that was perfect."

"Shut it."

-00-

 **Poor, awkward Toki. I'll try to update on a more regular basis, I hate leaving stories like that so I'm kind of mad with myself. My chaotic schedule has died down a bit though, leaving more time for my stories. I hope you guys liked it. Sorry about the lack of main cast characters. I could have kept this chapter going so that they could have their appearance (in case you didn't notice I like to ramble on through scenes), but that would make updating take that much longer and I really didn't want to postpone this longer than it already has been. They'll be in a lot more in the next chapter (as well as a surprise canon character visit, yay), so stick around for that and we'll see what happens.**

 **We're still on the "Missing Man" case, but that should be wrapped up in the next chapter. Then we'll be on to the "Mansion of Terror".**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

**This chapter…. So long… so many writer's blocks… aghhhhhh! I couldn't even break up the chapter because I was missing parts of nearly every single section. I finally got everything tied together (hopefully) so here's a really long chapter full of drama and suspense. As an apology for the lateness I added a big hint about some things that happened to Shizuka in the past, mwuahahah! Any ways, I hope you guys like this one! The next case is technically the 'Mansion of Terror' but Shizuka won't be in town for that one. She wasn't going to be in town for the 'Shinkansen's Bomb Case" either but a lot of you wanted her to be a part of that one, and so shall it be! (Which reminds me, this timeline is ridiculous! How long has it been, really? All these cases and barely a year has gone by?! Aghhhhhhh!)**

 **ArashiYuki13: I know right?! Right when life is looking up, it must take a nosedive. No exceptions. I hope things have gotten better for you though, it's never fun. Are you doing okay? Toki's one of my favorite OC's, haha. They were just nervous because they thought she was mad about something. And they have not forgotten that they didn't make a very good first impression with her so it was their nerves getting to them. I think mountain cases and cases with other reoccurring detectives are my favorites. It's nice to see Shinichi talk to someone he can (kind of) bounce ideas off of and get actual support from. Thanks for reviewing again! They always make me smile!**

 **Rizuki Dhan: And I like you! Thanks for the kind words, I'll do my best!**

 **GreenDrkness: Imagine if their positions were switched, haha. Shinichi becoming a consultant with the Detective Boys being the newbies and Shizuka joining grade school with her little group of newbies as her classmates :)! I'm glad you like them! Thank you for the awesome review!**

 **Please enjoy!**

 **-00-**

 **Chapter 10: Ninja Friends, Black Eyes, and too Many Memories**

 **-00-**

Shizuka stood just down the street from her house, grocery bags in hand, with her mouth open so wide she wouldn't be surprised if she caught any flies.

A few feet ahead of where she was standing, her brother's childhood friend was sticking half way through a car's shattered driver side window, her foot planted squarely in the drivers face. Shizuka had turned the bend just in time to see Ran jump from the second floor window of the Mori Detective Agency and leap feet first into the car with an enraged battle cry.

Numb hands lifted her camera as Ran proceeded to flip back out of the window and rip the door open (almost off its hinges, Shizuka _swears_ ) and forces the quivering man out of the car.

"I've got him Dad!" She called just as Mouri Kogoro made a mad dash from the front of the agency. She practically threw the terrified stranger at her father, who immediately latched on to his collar and hefted him up.

"You've got some nerve for a criminal, coming here!" he shouted, his face a mixture of righteous anger and bewilderment. "Did you think you could take me on?!"

"I-I'm not a criminal!" the other man cried, his trench coat bunching up as he tried to break free. Dark sunglasses covered most of his face but the nervous sweat beading his forehead made it clear he was scared.

"Then what?!" Kogoro demanded, voice rising. Even from a distance Shizuka could see the vein in his forehead pulsing. "Who the hell are you?!"

"I'm also a detective!" he shouted in return.

Kogoro froze, his grip slackening. "…What?"

"That's right!" he hurried to explain, reaching into his pocket to pull out a small photo. "I was following you because I was wondering if you and I were, perhaps, hired to do the same thing!"

Kogoro took the picture, glancing at the man with heavy suspicion. His daughter and the small child living with them both came closer to get a better look.

"I was told to look for Hirota-san," he continued, "by that man in the photo!"

"What?!" all three shouted in shock.

 _'What the hell am I watching?'_ Shizuka wondered incredulously. It was like a TV drama playing out right in front of her.

"Um," she uttered, drawing the small group's attention back to their surroundings. Shizuka was not the only one staring at their little spectacle.

"We should take this inside," Kogoro decided gruffly, grabbing the bulky man's arm and forcing him towards the agency.

"Shizuka-neesan!" Conan waved his hand dramatically when he caught sight of her. "You won't believe what happened!"

Ran wasted no time in scooping him up. She smiled sheepishly at the crowd around them. "Hush Conan-chan," she whispered hurriedly. "Um, Shizuka! Please come inside with us! We'll explain in there."

Shizuka stared at her before her eyes trailed back towards the damaged car right next to her. Ran's face burned red as she grabbed the shorter girl by the wrist and pulled her along behind them.

"That's terrifying," Shinichi muttered under his breath, eyes also riveted on the destruction.

"That's badass," Shizuka disagreed.

Ran turned impossibly redder, pulling more incessantly now. "L-let's just get inside, okay?"

"I think I'm in love," Shizuka stated evenly as she twisted her wrists so that the handles of the bags she was holding settled securely on her wrists, leaving her fingers open to snap a few more pictures of the car before Ran shoved her inside and closed the door.

"Shizuka!" she huffed, face over heating. Shinichi rolled his eyes at his sister's antics, but couldn't help the snicker that escaped his lips at Ran's disheveled appearance.

"-didn't you say so?!" Kogoro's loud voice interrupted them. They all hurried into the main room where the detective was interrogating the tall stranger.

"But haven't I been saying that all along?" he fretted. "I am a detective too!"

"Hmph," Kogoro leaned back in his chair, unimpressed. "Why were you running away then?"

The man scratched the back of his head nervously. "W-when I saw that girl's expression change so suddenly, and then she started chasing me, I got scared and…"

Kogoro looked him up and down with one eyebrow raised as the other man trailed off. Shinichi and Shizuka were amused to notice that Ran actually looked a bit flattered by the remark.

"Scared…?" Kogoro snorted. "That's cheap, coming from you. You're the picture of menacing, with those shades on."

The air around the man grew dark. "It's true… I've always bee somewhat of a coward. I wear these sunglasses so that no one will make fun of me and they'll actually take me seriously-"

Kogoro's hand snapped out, wrapping around the lenses. "Stop avoiding the subject!" he demanded, ripping the shades off the other man's face.

"Ah!" he cried, reaching out to take them back. But it was too late.

"Huh," Shizuka tilted her head. The man's eyes were extremely large, almost comically so. They reminded her of a shoujo manga character, particularly the typical main female protagonist with the outrageously large doe eyes. Instead of menacing he now looked like a large man-child. She briefly wondered how good his eyesight was.

"Pft," both Kogoro and Conan snickered once, twice, before bursting out into outrageous laughter.

Ran scowled at the two, but her eyes were undoubtedly drawn to the man's unnatural doe eyes. Shizuka, unable to help herself, snapped a quick picture of the man before clearing her throat to gain the room's attention.

"This seems like a business meeting," she observed, recalling the case Shinichi had been telling her about. "I have to be somewhere soon, but is there anything you need assistance with Mouri-san?"

Kogoro leveled her with a blank look, but seemed to actually think about it for a moment.

 _'Progress!'_ Shizuka cheered mentally.

"Have you seen this girl?" he pulled out a picture and handed it to her.

Shizuka readjusted her bags so she could grab it, feeling surprised. Was he actually accepting her help?

The picture was of a woman, or perhaps a young girl, she had one of those faces that it was hard to tell the age of. Shizuka would automatically guess a young girl though, due to the two dark brown braided pigtails, wide-rimmed glasses, and slightly hunched posture. Her eyes were a navy blue and very rounded, though the large size could be contributed to the prescription of her glasses.

"Hmm, I feel like I've seen her somewhere before but I don't think it was recently. Then again, I haven't exactly been looking," Shizuka handed the photo back after scanning it over once more. "I'll be sure to keep an eye out though. If I see her what would you like me to do?"

"Call me right away!" Ran cut in, wringing her hands in front of her as she interrupted whatever her father was about to say. "Her father was killed a-and we found her glasses but she wasn't there and s-she-!"

Shizuka's eyes narrowed. A murder and possible kidnapping? Shinichi hadn't mentioned anything like that. Laying a hand on Ran's shoulder she gave it a small, but firm shake. "Ran-chan, calm down. Is there any evidence that she was with her father when he was killed?"

Ran sniffled slightly, nodding. "H-her glasses. They were found where he was k-killed."

The shorter girl nodded encouragingly. "But her body wasn't found with them. It wouldn't make sense for the murderer to kill her somewhere else so she must be a hostage for something. There's a good chance she's alive."

Ran looked up hopefully. "You're right, she could still be… she still needs our help!"

Shizuka smiled at her. A small beeping sound came from her phone in her pocket.

"Ah," she sighed, glancing at the time. "I'm sorry Ran-chan, Kogoro-san, but I have an investigation of my own I have to get to. Once I am done there I will start looking for…"

"Hiroto Masami," Conan chirped helpfully when she trailed off.

Shizuka glanced at her brother, noting the tension in his shoulders. He was pushing himself too hard again. She'd have to talk to him too, once everything was squared away.

"Masami-chan, thank you Conan-chan," she finished, giving Ran another comforting smile. "Finding people is one of my specialties Ran-chan, don't worry. I'll do what I can to help."

Kogoro sighed as Ran thanked her. Whatever. An extra pair of eyes on the streets would help Masami out anyways.

"I'll see you all later then," Shizuka bowed her head slightly, adjusting her grocery bags once again so she could step away. "Sorry for interrupting."

"Thank you Shizuka," Ran waved gratefully.

"Bye Shizu-neesan!" Conan's eyes followed her as she left. He had a few questions for her, but they could wait. For now, finding Masami was his most important task.

 **-00-**

Hatsu Nota was having a regular, boring day at work. His older cousin had gotten him a job at the Mitsuriko Shipping Company the summer before and Nota had never been the ambitious type. He was perfectly happy with manning the front desk until he graduated from college. It wasn't a very taxing job, all he really did was answer phone calls and schedule meetings. Sometimes it got hectic with all of the time constraints and whiny old rich men but people mostly looked right past him and he had gotten good at what he did. Unfortunately, that meant that excruciating boredom was a constant companion. Everyday he was met with the same types of people and everyday it was exactly the same routine just different words. He didn't really mind it, he guessed, and it brought in money, but it was so very dull.

At least, it had been.

For the last few days a young reporter had been stopping by to question some of the staff about the death of one of the lift operators. He had never met his deceased co-worker himself, but a lot of people had really liked her and it had really shook everyone up, but the big boss was doing a pretty good job at keeping everything together. Reporters had come before, they still showed up often enough, but they always skipped right past him and circled the higher ups like vultures.

Not the new one, though. The new girl wanted to know about the poor worker's life. Not how the faulty machinery would affect the company's image, or how stocks were doing, or whatever other petty reason they came up with. No one even seemed to care that a good woman had _died_ that day. Except her. Nota wasn't an upstanding, go-getter type of guy but he admired it in other people just fine, and that was exactly what he saw whenever she came by.

"Um, excuse me?"

Nota flinched violently in surprise, his hand flying to minimize the mine sweep game on his computer. He looked up into bright blue, slanted eyes and a bright smile.

"Uh," Nota straightened up, wondering how on earth she had snuck up on him so quietly. "Hey Shizua-chan. Back again already?"

She grinned cheekily, her dark blue button up shirt crinkling along the sides slightly as she shrugged. The rectangular purse slung over her shoulders bounced lightly on her left hip. He looked her up and down for a moment, taking in the black dress pants and matching high heels. She always dressed very professionally even if her hair was usually held up in a messy bun. He couldn't blame her though, she always seemed very busy, not to mention bursting with energy.

"I was able to sneak away for lunch and I've got a few more questions," she held up a notepad and pen. "You wouldn't happen to have heard anything new would you?"

Nota laughed a little at her hopeful look. "You're in luck, actually. I asked around for you and I found out that Serena-san had a boyfriend who worked here. I couldn't get a name, unfortunately, but it shouldn't be too hard to figure out."

"Really?" Shizua's smile fell and the corners of her eyes crinkled in sympathy. "The poor man. It's not easy losing someone you love."

"Yeah," Nota looked down. "It's gotta be tough."

Shizua nodded sadly, before visibly shaking herself. Her eyes sparkled with determination. "But this is the perfect chance to learn more about Serena-chan. I'm sure he wants people to know how amazing she was."

Nota smiled a bit at her. "It's really nice what you're doing."

She shrugged modestly before leveling him with a sheepish grin. "I should also apologize for making you do all of this for me. I've been too busy to follow up as much as I should have, I shouldn't be asking you to be doing any ground work for me."

"Oh," Nota waved his hands in front of him. "Don't worry about it! I'm happy to help!"

"And I'm grateful!" Shizua hastened to reply. "But I know how hard it can be to get that kind of information, and it must be awkward for you to suddenly be asking around."

He had been getting some odd looks from his co-workers, but he was pretty sure they just put it off as him being curious about the shocking death.

"Which is whyyyy," Shizua stretched the word out, physically rising up on her toes as her tone turned pleading, "I was wondering if I could come in today?"

Nota paused. He really wasn't supposed to allow anyone inside without the boss' say-so unless they already had a pre-existing appointment. He was _especially_ not supposed to let any reporters in without making sure they had another worker there to direct them through the building and away from places they weren't supposed to be.

"Uh," he started.

"I'll be quick as a bunny," Shizua clasped her hands together. "And I won't go anywhere but the main hallways just like you showed me last time, or bother anyone that is too busy. I really only want to meet with the common staff; people Serena-chan would spend her day with. Just enough time to make a connection so I'm not creepily waiting for them out the back door."

Nota doubted anyone could think of her as 'creepy' but he could see her point. And she was different from any of the other reporters that he had met. If she said she would be respectful and quick he believed her.

"Well," he shifted hesitantly on his feet. "I'm technically not supposed to do this, but you seem like you're trying to do the right thing here. A few minutes couldn't hurt."

Shizua's smile was blinding as she squealed softly and reached across the desk to shake his hand enthusiastically. "Oh my gosh, thank you Nota-kun! You have no idea how much this means to me!"

"Oh, uh, haha, it's no problem," he gave a flustered laugh. "U-um, let me just open the door for you, haha."

Shizua bounced on the balls of her feet. No matter how professionally she dressed she still appeared almost child-like with how excited she was.

"And there you go," Nota ran a hand through his hair nervously. "Just a few minutes okay?"

"Absolutely," she nodded. Instead of rushing immediately towards the door she graced him with one last grateful smile. "Thank you Nota-kun."

He grinned back, cheeks burning. "H-happy to help."

A moment later the door clicked shut behind her and he flopped back into his chair, breathless.

"Damn," he muttered under his breath. "Real smooth Nota. Real smooth."

Honestly, he shouldn't get his hopes up. Shizua had already mentioned getting lunch with a boyfriend, there was no way he had a chance. Still, doing something good and having someone look at him like he was an amazing human being was a nice feeling that he rarely ever felt. Even if he was breaking the rules, it was for a good reason, and that felt great.

It was at least forty-five minutes later before Shizua made reappearance, but he hadn't been too worried. She was obviously someone who loved to chat.

"Sorry," she breathed, smoothing down her hair and tucking a small notebook into her bag. "I got caught up talking with one of the other workers. Did you know that next Friday is Pie Day?"  
"Oh yeah!" Nota recalled. "It's a tradition! Everyone brings in a big pie and we all spend lunch taste testing. The winner gets their next shift covered."

"How nice!" Shizua giggled. "Sounds like a fun time."

"It is," he agreed. "Did you get everything you needed?"

Her smile turned mischievous. "I think so. Serena-chan's story is going to be a real eye opener."

Nota leaned back in his chair casually. "With you as the writer? I have no doubt."

"Aww, thank you," she gushed. There was a soft beeping noise and she wasted not time in snatching her phone from her pocket and glancing at the screen. "Darn," she frowned slightly. "I've got to go. Lunch ends in five minutes."

He nodded understandingly. "Of course, work never ends right?"

"Yup," she grinned, "but that's what makes it fun! See you later Nota-kun!"

"Have a good day Shizua-chan!"

Once she was gone Nota sunk into his chair. With a deep sigh he reached out to bring up his game once more. Back to the boring day-to-day.

He wondered when Shizua would drop by again.

 **-00-**

"Here," Shizuka placed the file on Sato Miwako's desk with an air of finality.

"Is this-?" Miwako's eyes widened hopefully.

Shizuka smirked. "Financial records, shipping logs, a lovely little hidden financial sheet, time sheets both on record and," she placed a smaller vanilla folder on top, "off the record, as well as a list of employees who are definitely not on file, and I might just have a recording of a group of employees gossiping about the hidden love affair of Hatusda Serena and Mitsuriko Mako. One of them mentioned how Serena-san confided in them that she was going to have a baby."

"All of that?" Miwako hastily pulled the files towards her, flipping through them quickly. "This is perfect!"

"I aim to please," Shizuka deadpanned.

The detective rolled her eyes but couldn't manage to wipe the triumphant smirk from her lips. "I knew I could count on you, thanks Shizuka."

"You're welcome Miwako," Shizuka's lips twisted upwards slightly into a small smile. "Glad I could help."

"This is exactly what we needed to take this guy out," Miwako cheered, grabbing her jacket off the back of her chair. "Has any of this been validated through evidence yet?"

"All of it."

"Even the recording?"

Shizuka held up a small device she had been hiding in her pocket. "You get it if you give me a ride somewhere after your much desired arrest."

"Of course!" Sato snatched all of the files. "Takagi-kun! Let's go!"

"Eh?" a tall, lanky man stuck his head out of an office across the hall. "What?"

"We're making an arrest!" she smiled sharply.

Shizuka lazily scanned the unfamiliar man. She had known Miwako for years, the older woman being one of the few officers she truly enjoyed working with and could trust. They had gone on a few cases together when she had just been starting out as a private investigator and Miwako had been a newbie cop ready to make a mark. They didn't get to spend much time together due to their equally busy schedules, but the trouble they got into when they did meet up cemented their friendship.

Although it did lead to a few… troublesome times when she found out that Miwako's best friend, Miyamoto Yumi, and herself did not exactly get along. Yumi thought Shizuka was too 'stiff' and was encouraging her "beloved Miwako" to forgo her social life in favor of the criminally unsound, while Shizuka thought Yumi and her gossip was more worthless than beneficial and if that woman tried to hook her up with someone to 'mellow her out' one more god damn time she was going taze her.

Suffice to say, their relationship was rocky, but their combined friendship with Miwako forced them to get along as well as they could.

On the other hand, Takagi Wataru was an unknown face. She had heard his name before, in passing, but they had never met until this case. Her first impression was a nervous, doe-eyed detective (she assumed this was his first year with how low his confidence was) that was eager to please and had a crush a mile long on the woman standing next to her (which she couldn't actually fault him for, seeing as how every other male in the vicinity as well as quite a few of the female officers also held a torch for the oblivious Sato Miwako). He didn't seem like a bad person but, well, he was yet another new face she would be forced to interact with which automatically made her dislike the idea of being around him.

"Um," he glanced between the two women, one smiling dangerously and the other eyeing him like a hunter would its prey. "A-are you coming too Kudo-san?"

"Shizuka," she corrected automatically, pasting on a small smile to take away the edge in her words when he twitched. "And I suppose I wouldn't mind seeing you two in action. I'd have to stay pretty far back though. Some of the workers know me as someone else, it would be bothersome if they saw me."

"O-oh," he blinked in bewilderment. "Okay?"

"Let's go!" Miwako cheered, rushing for the exit. Takagi scrambled to gather his things and chase after her while Shizuka trailed behind with her hands buried in the pockets of her dress pants. She had long since unbuttoned her top to reveal a light blue tank top underneath and rolled up her sleeves. If she hadn't the shoulders would have continued to bunch up uncomfortably when she moved. The clip that had been holding her hair in a bun was now safely secured on the strap of her camera and her hair was now up in its customary ponytail, the shorter strands falling out around her face almost the second she put it up.

"Shizuka!" Miwako called from the entrance, beckoning for her to hurry up.

"Coming," she replied dully, throwing on an amiable smile as the surrounding officers turned to see what their resident detective was so excited about. She snatched her bag from Megure's office, giving him a quick salute and receiving an amused nod in return, before she hurried over towards her friend. "Shall we?"

Miwako shoved open the door, adrenaline making her push it harder than strictly necessary.

"Shouldn't we wait for the others on the case?" Takagi questioned, thinking about the various cops who had chipped in to help take down their latest criminal.

"They're already there," Shizuka explained with a smirk. "They're just waiting for you two."

"And we shouldn't keep them waiting long!" Miwako smirked, opening the door to her car and sliding in.

"Oh, are you driving Sato-san?" Takagi asked and Shizuka felt her eyebrow rise as she moved to get in the back.

"Have you ever driven with Miwako before?" she phrased the question carefully, clicking on her seatbelt, double checking to make sure it was secure, before carefully tucking her camera into her bag and hugging it to her chest.

Takagi shook his head, hurrying to close the door when Miwako began to tap her fingers impatiently. "Not since we've started working together, no. Why do you-!"

His words were cut off as Miwako put the car into reverse and peeled out of their parking space at a speed that definitely wasn't legal.

"Hold on!" she grinned dangerously as Takagi went pale.

He thought he heard someone laughing, but the blood roaring in his ears made it too hard to tell.

 **-00-**

By the time they pulled into the parking lot of the Mitsuriko Shipping Company Takagi seemed to have passed out and Shizuka was curled around her things like a ball. She didn't get motion sickness easily, if at all, but her stomach was beginning to churn uncomfortably.

"Miwako," Shizuka croaked, reaching out to grasp the older woman's shoulder past the seat.

"Hm?" she replied, turning to look at her as she turned off the engine. "Are you okay? You look pale."

Shizuka sent her a deadpan look. "How about I drive next time?"

Miwako's expression soured. "Why does everyone say that when I drive?"

Takagi groaned from his seat, hand rising to massage his face. "W-what happened?"

"We made it here in record time," Shizuka answered, double-checking everything in her bag to make sure nothing had been damaged. "Are you alright Takagi-san?"

"…um," he muttered, face turning an alarming shade of green.

Shizuka hopped out of the car quickly, turning her attention away from the sickly man and towards her friend.

"Miwako, I think I'm going to hang back over there. I won't be much help in there and I'll keep an eye on the streets for you while the others join you."

All of Miwako's teeth were showing as she stared up at the building, adrenaline still pumping through her veins. "That would be great, thanks Shizu. It's time to take that bastard down!"

Shizuka shook her head fondly, shoving her usual worries aside. Miwako was a very capable detective, and she would just be in the way inside the building.

Once Takagi was able to pull himself together the two partners waved goodbye to Shizuka and headed towards the building. Once they got closer Nathan and Tetsu made their appearance alongside their senior officers. They all seemed on edge, but it was understandable. This was a big moment.

Shizuka, meanwhile, decided to get back into character. Fixing her hair into a bun once more she quickly fixed her shirt and headed towards a small café she had seen earlier.

As she walked her mind flitted through everything she new about the case she was on.

Mitsuriko Mako was not only the owner of one of the most prominent businesses in Beika but he was also a fairly well known politician. He was a powerful man and, more dangerously, a smart one. No one could find anything on him, and many did not think to try. His public image was trustworthy and dependable, his business image being even more respectable. With more than half the city at his back he seemed untouchable.

Until the death of one of his workers, Hatsuda Serena. She had been operating some of the machinery when she had taken an unfortunate fall that ended up killing her and the unborn child she had been carrying with her. Miwako and Takagi had been placed on the case as a test run. It was a simple, open and close case about an unfortunate accident. Perfect for a pair of detectives recently paired up that needed to adjust to working together.

At least, it was a simple case until Takagi stumbled upon a couple of gossiping coworkers talking about the relationship between the now deceased worker and their boss. It would explain the lack of boyfriend in Hatsuda's life, their relationship not being uncommon but certainly looked down upon in some aspects. It all seemed to make sense until they actually spoke to the man.

He was the perfect saddened leader. So perfect, in fact, that it set Miwako on edge. This was not a man morning a lover and unborn child. This was a man with a warm smile but cold, icy eyes. The two detectives began to investigate. Unfortunately, much like Shizuka's recent investigation, they came up with absolutely nothing concrete. There were, however, a lot of coincidences. Illegal deals nearby areas Mitsuriko had meetings, shipments being stolen the same nights one of his ships deported, known criminals being seen near his work and home, all things that wouldn't be suspicions on their own, but all together painted an incriminating picture.

An incriminating picture with no evidence. The man was clean, and a few theories didn't prove anything no matter how often they happened. They would never be able to get Mitsuriko on murder charges. Even if he didn't hire people to do the dirty work for him, he had too much influence and intelligence to get caught so long after the fact. Whatever opportunities had existed had been lost with time.

So instead, they needed to target the things that _had_ to leave a paper trail. Cargo lists (to find any missing or extra supplies), employee records (to either find criminal records or illegal workers), and proof of the relationship between Hatsuda and Mitsuriko (Miwako was certain he had a hand in her death, and after all of the things they had found, Shizuka was inclined to believe them). Anything they could use to make him sweat. Nervous. Nervous men made mistakes, and with how careful and paranoid Mitsuriko was he must have worried if he ever left anything behind. Perfectionists panicked if anything was out of place, so if they approached him with their suspicions while also having factual proof of other things then perhaps they could trick him into making his own assumptions about what they new. A tricky, dangerous play but one of their only valid options.

Miwako had gone undercover months ago, Takagi having been the one to speak with Mitsuriko the most. A simple, part-time workroom employee who everyone got along with but no one really paid attention to. She had been able to gather a lot of basic information, gathering intel and taking pictures of anything suspicious to be looked at later. Everything was going well until one of the other workers, who had been on maternity leave, had come back and thought she looked familiar. The woman's neighbor had been mugged a while ago and Miwako looked just like the officer that had come to help. Mitsuriko had been standing no more than ten feet from them when it happened, and while Miwako had been able to almost immediately convince the woman that they had never met, Mitsuriko was far less likely to be fooled. She couldn't go back without being under heavy suspicion.

Which is where Shizuka came in.

Miwako had already had a plan in motion. She new where all the documents were being kept, the fastest way to get to them and get out of the building, who to smooth talk into letting her into the more inaccessible areas, the works. Unfortunately this made her even more furious that she couldn't go back in after being so close.

Fortunately it made Shizuka's job far, far easier. All she had to do was pack an extra empty bag into her usual one, get past the front door, and begin snooping. Snagging the receptionist's key card had been a breeze (though his hands had been unnaturally sweaty when she had grabbed them). The added security was a pain to deal with, it always was, and it wasted more time than she wanted, but once she had the information all she had to do was drop it out the second floor window in the far left room. Conveniently right above where two young cops were having their coffee break. In and out.

Now all they had to do was confront him and hope for the best.

None of them liked how fragile the plan was. There were too many possibilities, so many ways this could go wrong. But it was all they could get and it would be their best shot for a long time to come. Miwako and Takagi had been working this case for months, and she new Miwako would never leave a stone unturned.

Worst-case scenario, Mitsuriko walks away scott-free with the knowledge that they're on to him. Becoming even harder to catch, and perhaps spinning a sad tale for the media, which would definitely put them on the public's bad side.

Which is exactly why Shizuka did not want to be seen by anyone working in the building. If things went wrong they might need the help of someone more off the record to catch him off guard again and she had already set up an image with many of the employees in the building (lurking outside the building definitely got her some weird looks, but once she actually started to talk to them she managed to charm them into agreeing to a few interviews).

So while the others rushed in to hopefully apprehend their criminal, Shizuka bought an overpriced but delightfully warm coffee and slipped easily into the role of Madoki Shizua once more.

This lead to the moment where she was forcing her way through the large crowd that had congregated outside the shipping company almost twenty minutes later. There were a lot of people, pressed so tightly together she could barely get passed them.

When she finally managed to make it back through the crowd Mitsuriko Mako was already being led out of the building in handcuffs, Miwako reading him his rights as she pushed him forward. Takagi walked to their left, eyes flitting between their car and the crowd that had gathered to watch the spectacle. Nathan and his senior officer were flanking behind them while Tetsu and his were in front, all of them tense and ready. Mitsuriko glared at the gawking faces as he passed, eyes alit with a deep, burning fury.

Shizuka felt her shoulders relax. The take down must have gone well.

"Shizua-chan?"

Shizuka looked behind her, towards the voice, and saw a familiar face.

"Shizua-chan, what are you doing here?" Hatsu Nota's face appeared in front of her, bent down to meet her eyes. "Did you hear what was going on?"

"Hi Nota-kun," she smiled at him, taking a sip of her coffee. "I was just stopping for a coffee break when I saw the crowd. Isn't that Mitsuriko Mako? I wonder what's happened."

Nota shrugged uncertainly. "I'm pretty sure they can't just arrest someone for doing nothing, so something must have happened and he looks pretty angry. I didn't really get to know him, but he didn't seem like a bad guy from all the stuff I've seen. Maybe it's just a misunderstanding?"

"I think so too," she nodded swiftly. The group was almost to the car. "He's done so much good for the city, there's no way he would do anything bad. Hey, lets move to the side a bit, okay? I want to grab some pictures, just in case."

"Sure, sure," Nota agreed immediately, shuffling away from the car a bit as she moved along parallel to it. Hopefully he didn't think to wonder why no one was stopping them from getting too close to it in the first place, seeing as how all of the officers recognized Shizuka and just assumed he was with her. "Have you been working all this time? You must be exhausted. Would you like some help?"

"Oh no," Shizuka waved her hand quickly, digging in her bag for her camera. "I couldn't do that, it would be unprofessional. Besides I-"

Miwako was just starting to open the door to the patrol car, leaving only one hand to hold onto Mitsuriko. The other officers were surrounding them, facing out, to keep an eye on the crowd.

They had originally planned for only three people to take him in, making it less of a public show. Then Takagi mentioned how the people Mitsuriko worked with might not be happy about him getting arrested and with how often they were seen in the vicinity it would be a good idea to take some added security just in case. The businessman himself never seemed to get his hands dirty, and always kept up the good public image. If anything bad would happen it would most likely be from an outside source while he played it up to get the people on his side.

They didn't expect the fact that nothing had ever challenged Mitsuriko before, with all of his careful planning, not even any of the criminals he dealt with. They didn't expect he would be willing to taint his image at all, but no one knew how poorly Mitsuriko would take failure on any level. They certainly didn't expect the wave of murderous intent he let out the moment Miwako removed a single hand from his arms.

Slamming back into her and knocking her into the side of the car where her head hit with a resounding ' _crack_ ', the large man smashed into the weakest link he could find. Tetsu hit the pavement as Mitsuriko charged straight into his back. With surprising reflexes the young boy rolled to the side and tried to jab his baton between the mad man's legs but he just jumped over Tetsu, his hands flying free from the handcuffs as he landed. The remaining cops around him lunged to grab him but he had wasted no time in heading towards the nearest civilians he could find.

Shizuka looked up just in time to see the fist coming at her face before it connected with the left side of her face. All the sound around her seemed to cut out, as though someone had paused the scene of a movie, and stars danced across her vision nauseatingly.

"-back or I'll kill them both!" he was roaring when her hearing finally began to filter back. A heavy foot was pressing into her chest, threatening to slam down. The force would no doubt shatter her ribs, and who knew what else. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision.

She was lying on the ground, flat on her back, and Nota was being held in the criminals arms, one wrapped around his neck to cut off his air supply, while the other positioned what looked like a small strip of metal ( _'paperclip?'_ her mind gave a muddled thought) to hover just over his right eye.

Shizuka's head lolled to the side, her eyes glazing over slightly as she struggled to stay conscious. Tetsu was back on his feet, eyes sharp but eerily emotionless, with blood dripping from his nose heavily. Nathan and the other officers were tensed and ready, each with a gun in hand trained directly at the man pinning her down. Miwako was still struggling to stand, much in the same mental condition as Shizuka.

 _'…He must have a hard head,'_ she thought absentmindedly as she forced her own head to turn and look at her attacker once more.

"You take one more _step_ ," Mitsuriko spat, his face an ugly shade of red, "and I'll crush her heart in and take out his eye!"

Shizuka inhaled sharply through her nose, only to choke as blood followed the air like a flood. Coughing painfully to clear the blockage she felt the foot on her chest press down harder.

"Last warning!" Mitsuriko warned, his voice low and dark.

Shizuka gasped deeply, filling her lungs with air. Holding it for a few solid seconds she blew it all out in a rush, willing her mind to focus.

"That's right," Mitsuriko smirked as the officers held up their guns and hands.

"We can't just let him go," Tetsu hissed lowly, his fingers twitching.

"We can't let him kill anyone either," Miwako whispered back, on her feet but wavering. "Wait until he clears the crowd, there's too many civilians. Keep your distance but don't let him get out of sight. We'll take him out as soon as we have the shot."

The officers made no sign that they heard her, not wanting to rile up the criminal any further.

"Don't think I don't know what you're planning," Mitsuriko let out a sharp, crazed laugh. The boy in his grip whimpered when the metal strip was brought even closer to his eye. "If you even _think_ that- !"

Shizuka slowly opened her eyes, looking up. Her vision blurred suddenly, and it was like she was somewhere else. She felt smaller, younger. The boot on her chest did not belong to Mitsuriko Mako. It was a smaller foot, no less powerful, with designer dress shoes. The man holding her down was suddenly smaller in stature, brown hair changing to blonde, green eyes turning to a cold, sadistic golden brown.

Shizuka shook her head violently from side to side, pain vibrating through her skull as her cheeks hit the concrete harshly. Her breathing picked up as she tried to expel the vision from her mind.

' _I'm not there, it's over, stop panicking, this is important, something's wrong, pay attention, I'm not there, I'm not there, he's not here-!'_

Nota was no longer Nota. Instead he was a far to familiar boy, no older than eighteen. His eyes were frightened but warm, and as a gun slowly rose towards him his lips moved almost silently.

" _This isn't your fault Shizu. I love-"_

' _NO!'_

Shizuka curled her body as far as she could over the foot crushing her, ribs and head burning, as her hand snapped out to grab the handle sticking out of the bottom of her pants leg. Without blinking she flipped the blade open and stabbed it as far as she could into the ankle of the foot forcing her down.

Mitsuriko roared in pain, his leg automatically pulling back and his arms twisting to the side. The moment she was free Shizuka twisted her body out of the way and flipped up onto her feet. While he was still distracted she ripped her phone out of her back pocket and flipped a switch on the side that made two small prongs pop out of the top. Jumping up she head butted his chin so that his head tilted back before slamming the pronged end of her phone into his now exposed neck.

There was an odd buzzing noise as Mitsuriko began to convulse painfully. His arms reflexively weakened and curled up, letting Nota fall to the floor. The boy scrambled away as fast as he could, eyes wide and filled with tears as his limbs trembled uncontrollably.

Shizuka's pupils were blown as wide as the iris, her breathing labored, but she kept the Taser held firmly in place while she clung to him. Miraculously, Mitsuriko made a grab for her, hands flying sporadically. One almost caught her in the face again when a loud shot rang out.

Mitsuriko stumbled and fell to his knees, blood pooling from his left thigh. The electricity finally did its job, his eyes rolling back into his head. When he began to list to the side Shizuka jumped back, fumbling, and barely managing to stay on her feet when she landed.

She glanced over to see Tetsu a few feet away, smoking gun in hand. The senior officers and Takagi were there immediately, forcing Mitsuriko's arms behind his back and handcuffing him once more (checking him over even more thoroughly than before in case of any more paper clip surprises). One of them began pressing a cloth to the bullet wound in his leg. Nathan was on the phone, calling in the paramedics, while Miwako was rushing over to Nota who was still curled up on the ground.

"Kudo-senpai, I'm going to grab your shoulder and lead you to the curb. Alright?"

She opened her eyes to see who was talking to her (when had she closed them?). Tetsu was peering at her, hands out as though preparing to catch her. His nose was still bleeding sluggishly, the blood caking onto his upper lip and lower chin. Without really thinking about it she shrugged off her blue button up and bunched it up before shoving it into his hands.

"Use that to stop the bleeding," she said blankly, gesturing towards his nose. "And thanks. I think."

Tetsu reached out to grab her arm when Shizuka suddenly turned around, eyes focusing on the group of paramedics (they certainly got there fast didn't they? How had she not noticed that?) and officers surrounding the downed criminal.

"Hold on," she waved back at him flippantly, walking away. "I'll be, uh…"

She could vaguely hear him calling after her as she trailed off, but her focus remained on the group.

She tapped one of the paramedics on the shoulder, making them look at her. She jerked her thumb towards the knife sticking out Mitsuriko's ankle. "I'm gonna, um," she waved her hand around as though it could conjure the words out of thin air," uh, oh, yeah, I'm gonna want that back when you're done with him."

"Ma'am," the paramedic looked her up and down with a small frown (the hell was that look for? So she wasn't dressed up as well as she could be, excuse her for, uh, wait, what?). "I need to look you over as well. Where are you hurt?"

Shizuka blinked, long and slow. "…My face hurts."

"I see," the paramedic (what was their name? Why were they talking to her?) gave her a friendly smile (the hell is she smiling about?). "Shall we take a step over here and take a look at it?"

"At what?" Shizuka questioned suspiciously.

"At your face ma'am."

"Shizuka," she corrected automatically. "And, oh."

There were suddenly two paramedics that looked exactly the same floating in front of her. Shizuka frowned. That couldn't be right. People couldn't float, it wasn't logical.

"I think I have a concussion," she stated broadly. "I was… hit. In the face. With, uh, damn my head hurts."

"Please, come over here," the paramedic took her gently by the elbow and led her over to the ambulance parked off to the side (where the hell were all of these things coming from?). Unbeknownst to her, Tetsu had followed closely behind her and was receiving similar treatment from on of the other paramedics once they caught sight of his nose.

"I don't want to go to the hospital," Shizuka stopped in her tracks.

"Shizuka, it would really be for the best. You have a concussion that could be serious. You could also be injured somewhere else, we should-"

"Do that here, not there. I hate hospitals," Shizuka interrupted, pulling her arm a bit. The paramedic didn't let go.

"How about we do the basic check up, and then see how you feel?"

Shizuka frowned. "Isn't that what I just said?"

The next thirty minutes were a blur, feeling more like seconds than anything else. Once her mind had cleared up a bit (it was looking like a mostly minor concussion, so yay for small miracles) she was able to convince the paramedic to go look over Nota instead of her. She then marched right over to Miwako and demanded her knife back.

"Shizuka," Miwako sighed, a bag of ice pressed to her head. She had also refused to go to the hospital and was currently resting against one of the patrol cars. "Half of your face looks like a panda, my head is killing me and I bet yours is too, and we just finished dealing with a hostage situation that should have never happened in the first place. Is your knife really the most important thing to focus on right now?"

Shizuka shrugged, the movement making her head ache. "It's the only thing _I_ can do so that's what I'll focus on." They looked out at the chaos for a few minutes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm angry," Miwako scowled. "That whole situation should never have happened." She slumped over her knees, rubbing the sides of her head delicately. "…I messed up."

"We should make a club," Shizuka struggled for a moment to lift herself up enough to sit on the hood of the car next to her friend. "You and I can be the founders. You for underestimating a muscular steroid man twice your size, and me for getting distracted, clocked in the face, and for endangering a civilian. Takagi-san can join too. And Miko-san and Umura-san. They all weren't paying enough attention to the actual criminal. Nathan and Tetsu get a free pass today since they're new, and Tetsu made up for getting slammed by shooting that asshole in the leg."

Miwako closed her eyes, thinking about it. "Four members? Don't you need at least five for a club?"

"Well, Avelia is obviously our top member," Shizuka pointed out.

"Yumi put a parking ticket on the wrong car the other day."

"…She doesn't get to join."

Miwako laughed slightly, wincing in regret immediately afterward. "I still don't understand why the two of you can't just get along."

"Eh," Shizuka huffed. They fell back into a companionable silence. "Hey, I know I said you needed to give me a ride after your arrest, but can I take a rain check on that?"

Miwako blinked at her. "What?" Her eyes brightened in realization. "Oh! Of course. Does that mean you're coming back to the station?"

"No," Shizuka shook her head. "I need to go home. I'll put in my report tomorrow. Mind dropping me off?"

"Sure. It looks like everything is almost wrapped up so I should go take care of the last few details. Will you be okay on your own?"

"Mh-hm," she hummed in response. Miwako stumbled slightly but righted herself quick enough. Shizuka watched her march back towards the chaos.

 _Snow. There was snow falling and so much blood. Too much blood. Her shoulder burned, why couldn't she-!_

Shizuka flinched violently as the vision disappeared. She pressed the palm of her hand into her uninjured eye, eyelids closing as tight as possible.

"Damn it," she cursed softly, voice cracking. "Damn it!"

 **-00-**

Shizuka waved at Miwako and Takagi as they started to pull away. Miwako hadn't been happy that she couldn't drive, but the paramedics had demanded that she either have someone else drive or they would drive her themselves. Once they were out of sight she turned towards her house and let out a long, heavy breath.

The front door of the Kudo household slammed against the wall as it was kicked open. The hinges protested loudly, and a small dent was left in the wall from the doorknob.

Shizuka ignored the loud, resounding smash and threw her bag to the ground. Her motions were carefully restrained, wary of her sore muscles. She flinched, eyes whipping around as though seeing something. With a soft growl she stormed up the stairs.

Her bedroom door received the same rough treatment as the front door, and once she had carefully made her way across the floor to her bed what remained of her composure shattered. Grabbing the edge of the bed with white knuckles she _pulled_. The posts screeched across the floor, leaving small marks across the wood and her muscles screamed at the abuse but she ignored it all. Once it was far enough away she kneeled to the ground and ripped up the fake floorboard she had installed years ago.

There were three different boxes nestled in the hole in the ground. One contained all of her old case notebooks, the other her collection of CDs and DVDs from various countries, and the final held the photo albums she considered most precious. Seizing control of herself once more, Shizuka reached in and carefully removed each box before setting them gently on the floor behind her. Below those boxes was simple cement.

Deft fingers pulled a small knife from her pocket. It wasn't the one she had used earlier, which just irritated her more. Apparently she wouldn't be getting that one back any time soon. She angled the knife down towards the far corner of the cement interior. Jabbing the tip into an almost invisible line of rubber molding she methodically cut around the rectangular bottom. Once a line had been made all the way around she shoved the knife in further and levered it with the palm of her hand until the cement bottom lifted just enough for her fingers to wrap around the edge and wiggle the piece free.

It came out with a slight scraping noise as it brushed the sides and she placed it next to the boxes. The space behind it had been small, leaving barely any room for anything at all. The only thing that was able to fit was a small, plain wooden box with a golden clasped lock on the front. It wasn't anything special, and it was too small to hold anything bigger than the palm of her hand, but she treated it like fragile glass as she pulled it from the ground and turned to set it on her bed. Once it was safely surrounded by her blankets she sat on the floor, crossed her legs, and stared at it.

The minutes ticked by as she sat there, the anger in her unswollen eye slowly fading into cold stoicism. After nearly an hour had passed she reached out and lifted the box once more, turning to place it back in the ground. Slowly, the cement bottom was replaced and the boxes returned to their original position. When the loose floorboard sunk back in to place she stood up and pushed her bed back into position. As soon as her room was returned to normal she toed off her shoes and fell on top of her pillow, not bothering to lift the covers or change. She wouldn't be able to sleep for a long time to come, but she was too exhausted to move.

After an hour or so of restless tossing she sat up and trudged downstairs. The front door was still open but she was too tired to care. Slipping on her shoes, she locked the door behind her and walked away from the cold, empty house.

 **-00-**

When Agasa ambled into his workshop at six in the morning everything was exactly as he had left it, from the precariously stacked piles of books and files to the scattered inventions all around the room. It was always rather messy in his lab, but he knew where everything was and as long as he kept his couch clear for visitors (aka. The Kudo siblings) then he was perfectly content to leave it the way it was.

With a small yawn he pulled on his favorite lab coat and moved to his worktable. There was a small pair of earrings resting in the middle with a variety of small wires sticking out of them. With all of the devices he was making for Shinichi he had thought up some good ideas for Shizuka as well.

"You're up early."

Agasa shrieked, his feet tripping over each other as he flailed his arms in the air. He fell to the ground with a crash.

Light hands grabbed his shoulders to help steady him.

"Are you alright?" He couldn't see her very well without his glasses but her voice betrayed her amusement.

"Shizuka!" Agasa glared at her as she helped him back on feet. He brushed off his lab coat with a huff. "What on earth are you doing? Where were you hiding?"

She just snorted, but stepped back to give him some space. "I wasn't hiding, I was laying down on the couch."

He peered at her doubtfully, his vision blurred by his skewed glasses. "I didn't see you when I walked in."

"Yes, well, it has often been pointed out to me that I am rather small," she shrugged.

Agasa grumbled under his breath. He adjusted his glasses with a sigh as she turned to face away from him. "That doesn't explain what you're doing here so early in the morning. Is everything all right? Is Shinichi-kun okay?"

"Yes, yes, everyone is fine," Shizuka waved his concerns away and went back to sit on the couch once more. "I got home late last night and I realized I had forgotten my keys. I didn't really feel like breaking the door down so I decided to crash here, I hope you don't mind. You were sleeping so I just let myself in and I thought I'd be gone by the time you got up."

"Of course, you're always welcome here," Agasa said slowly. Taking in her rumpled clothes and slumped shoulders he chose to refrain from mentioning the fact that if she had forgotten her keys then she would have forgotten the key to his house as well. Not to mention she was very adept at picking locks, which was most likely how she had gotten in.

Honestly, he didn't know why he was surprised. It wasn't a rare occurrence to find a wayward Kudo camping out in his home when something was bothering them. Yusaku constantly used the inventor's home as a way to avoid angry editors (or his wife) and he new all about the family gossip due to Yukiko choosing to view his couch as a therapeutic getaway in order to rant about her current problems. Even Shinichi could be found wandering the area whenever he couldn't think straight (either due to cases or Ran). It had been a long time since he saw Shizuka appear in the random hours of the night but she never failed to make an appearance when she felt her own house was too empty or confining. Something about the clutter of his lab just seemed to draw the family in.

Shizuka stretched out along the couch, arms crossed behind her head. It was plenty big enough for her to fit and there was even some extra room left between her feet and the end cushion. The back of the couch was facing towards him so all he could see was her hand when she lifted it to wave at him a bit.

"Thanks Professor. I won't stay for too much longer, I have stuff to do at eight."

"Stay for however long you like," Agasa went right to work on the earrings. He had long since learned that if he wanted to get to the root of the problem he couldn't go at it head on. They always realized what he was trying to pull at some point but usually by that time they had relaxed enough to open up of their own free will. "You seem exhausted."

"…Just a late night," she sighed, closing her eyes. She debated on actually showing the Professor her face but decided against it. She was so tired. She really didn't want to deal with his worry either.

"I see," Agasa continued good naturedly, focusing mostly on crossing the correct wires. "I hope you didn't walk home. You may be able to take care of yourself but that is no reason to tempt fate."

Shizuka would have rolled her eyes if she had the motivation to even open her eyelids. "Relax Professor. Miwako drove me home and today is a short day. Inspector Megure gave me the day to get ready to go to Osaka, I just need to finish some reports."

Agasa looked up at her with a frown. "Sato-san? I thought Avelia-san usually drives you home when you stay too late."

"Oh I'm sure the mother hen would have tried," she sighed. "But I wasn't really in the mood for his clucking so I left before he caught me."

"Oh, he won't be happy about that," Agasa tapped the screwdriver in his hand atop the desk.

"No, he won't, but he'll just have to suck it up."

"Hmm," he hummed. Somehow he didn't think the intimidating police chief would let the matter drop so easily. Ever since the incident a few years ago the Avelia household had taken Shizuka in as one of their own. He paused. "Wait a minute, you're going to Osaka?."

Shizuka pushed herself up by her elbows so she could see him over the back of the couch, her hair falling over the left side of her face. "…Did I not tell you?"

"You and your brother fail to tell me a lot of things," Agasa pointed out, waving the screwdriver at her eye to emphasize his point.

"Oh," she looked sheepish. "Uh, well, Yuuko-san invited me a few days ago. I figured it would be a good chance to check out that house we talked about, so I teamed up with a few extra officers to get all the work done that I could before I left."

"Really?" Agasa was surprised. "I know how much you hate working with others… Is that why you are so upset?"

"Upset? Why would you think I'm- oh," she fell back, letting her arms rest at her sides. "Don't think I don't see what you're doing Therapist-san."

Agasa didn't even try to look guilty. "I'm just worried about you. You never come here this early unless something is bothering you."

He let the unspoken question settle in the air around them, perfectly content to wait out the silence. The best part about people coming to his lab when they had problems was that he could keep himself busy when he needed to be patient. Otherwise he might have pushed more often when pulling back was more beneficial.

She glared at the ceiling, mind flashing back. "It's really nothing to worry about. I just…"

"Hm?" he hummed in the back of his throat, carefully keeping his focus on table in front of him.

Shizuka twisted her body so that her back was facing outwards, one arm tucked under her head. "I… I thought I saw someone yesterday."

Agasa twitched as his finger caught the edge of a sharp wire, shaking his hand out to rid it of the slight pain. "Someone you knew?"

"…Yes," her voice was dark and cold, making him pause. "It was a… stressful situation, tension was high. I wasn't thinking clearly, and I saw-," she cut herself off with a frustrated sigh. "It wasn't him. Obviously. It couldn't have been him anyway, it was stupid to even _think_ -!"

Agasa's eyes crinkled with worry as she shot up with a narrowed glare, hair fluttering around her as though to emphasize her annoyance. "Shizu-"

"I should go," she interrupted him, pushing herself to her feet. She rooted around the clutter by the couch for her shoes.

Agasa hurried to intercept her.

"Shizuka-chan," he tried to catch her gaze but she ducked past him. "Shizuka-chan! Shizuka!"

She finally stopped when he managed to find her shoes before her, holding them up like hostages.

"What?" she glowered, half turned away from him.

Agasa refused to back down. "You need to calm down."

"I am calm!" she hissed, hands clenched at her sides.

They stared each other down for a long few minutes, neither wanting to back down. Normally Shizuka would either force herself to calm down enough to explain that she wanted to be left alone, or Agasa would automatically give her the space she wanted, but her anger was making her shake so badly that she couldn't speak which worried Agasa enough to refuse to leave her alone.

"Who did you see?" Agasa asked softly after a long enough span of time had passed and her breathing had at least started to slow.

The eye he could see was still bright with anger, but now a film of hurt was mixed in. "I-," she choked. "I thought-!"

Her hand reached up to clutch at her right shoulder. Agasa's eyes were drawn to the circular scar barely covered by the strap of her tank top before her hand blocked it from view.

"Oh," he breathed softly. His small exclamation seemed to drain all of the fight out of the small woman, her chin tilting down in defeat.

"I'll be fine," she whispered weakly, voice croaking slightly. "You know me. I just need some time to… to get myself back together."

"Shizuka-chan," he fumbled for the best words, but couldn't quite find them.

"I'm leaving for Osaka tomorrow morning," she continued, voice growing stronger with each passing minute. "I'll be gone for a few days, long enough to take a break and refocus. It'll be good for me."

He weighed his options carefully. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she said softly, then once again but stronger. "Yeah. I'll be okay. It just took me by surprise. I've been in Beika for a while now, I should have expected something like this would happen. It's an adjustment thing, I'm sure. You don't have to worry."

She was rambling now but her voice had almost returned to normal, which was both a good sign and a bad one. A good one in that she was calming down but a bad one because it meant she was locking everything away and he wouldn't be able to get her to talk about it again.

"…Alright," he finally conceded with a burdened sigh. Forcing her to share any more would only do more damage in the long run. Slowly, he handed over her shoes.

"Thanks," she still had her face downcast as she put them on, tapping the heel on the ground a few times to adjust the grip they had on her foot. When she was done she finally glanced at him and if he hadn't been there the whole time he would have thought that nothing had happened.

"You know you can always talk to me," he offered one last chance for her to open up, praying she would take it.

"I know," she smiled almost genuinely. "And I'm grateful for it. But I should really be going. I'll see you in a few days."

Agasa could do nothing but follow her to the door, her stride just as relaxed as it always was.

"Oh, Professor?" she paused at the entryway, hand on the doorknob.

"Yes?" he brightened slightly with hope.

"Don't tell Shinichi about this, please. He has enough on his plate already, he doesn't need to know what happened."

Agasa scratched the back of his head, his eyebrows furrowed in worry. "It's been three years already, Shizuka. You need to tell him what happened eventually."

"I know," she looked down before stepping outside. With one hand tucked into her pocket she raised the other in a halfhearted goodbye, back still facing him. "See you later Professor."

"Be safe," he called back, watching her stroll over to the gates of her house and disappear inside. Once she was out of sight he closed the door and lifted his glasses just enough to pinch the bridge of his nose. He had a lot of thinking to do.

 **-00-**

 **And that's all folks! For this chapter at least. I hope I tied everything together fairly well. I'm trying not to have Shizuka be fully involved in Shinichi's cases yet. Those first ones were really important to his character growth, in my opinion, and working through them on his own gives him some control over his situation. Plus, he's Shinichi. The case would get solved with out Shizuka being there any way, so she'll be having her own adventures along side him (though she will join a lot of his cases! Fear not! Just not the first few very much. She's got her own work to do anyway).**

 **I hop you guys liked this one! I put a lot of effort into it and I would love to make it better so any constructive criticism or comments would be awesome.**

 **And, you know, the 'Missing Man' case is still ongoing. From the looks of it, it went on for at least a week so it works time wise I suppose.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Guys. Guys it's done. For the love of all that is writing it is done! School's finally out and I've had the energy to write again! For those of you that don't know I work in a school and go to school and it's utter poop. But now that is over with for a few months and I can do what needs to be done! Huzzah!**

 **This chapter finishes off the Missing Man case (with some, uh, noticeable changes as I'm sure you'll see) and goes over Kazimir's house as well. Momma Fujie makes a reappearance for a little bit and concussions suck. Siblings fight, make up, and bicker away while Shizuka debates on making actual friends.**

 **TheDarkKunoichi: Oh wow, thank you so much for the fantastic compliments! I'm glad you decided to give this story a shot, and even happier that you like it! My favorite thing to do with these kinds of stories is give the side characters a chance to shine too. They're awesome! And I'm glad you like the newbie cops too, I was really nervous about throwing them in so soon. I wonder what their group name will be, haha. Thanks again for reviewing!**

 **Larke: You reviewed so much! Thank you! Avelia's one of my favorites too, and the circus was... quite the wild ride. It will be mentioned more later on. For now lets just say, Shizuka has a very interesting outlook on clowns now. Don't even worry about not writing in English, I've got Google translate on my side (and when that fails I can make my own guesses at what you said). Thank you for being willing to wait. That means a great deal to me. Avelia is a very large bear man. Bear hugs are his greatest form of attack! Thanks for taking the time out of your day to review!**

 **littlebabyturtlelove: To the house we go! And shhh, no spoilers. Agasa will always be the best! Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Naliyu: Here you goooooooo! Thanks for the review, even if only to ask for more. It motivates me!**

 **Nebilas: You make me blush good human. Hope you like it, thanks for reviewing!**

 **ArashiYuki13: That's great! I'm glad you've got some good in your life and I hope that still rings true! (scoots closer) creepy my butt! I'm glad it makes you feel closer, the same goes for me! As for all the things that go into writing... nah, I'm pretty sure all of those belong in some way or form. Probably. You always make me smile! Thanks for reviewing again my friend, I hope you like this one too.**

 **Please enjoy!**

 **-00-**

 **Chapter 11: The Pains of the Face, Basic First Aid, and Close Calls**

 **-00-**

Shizuka tilted her head from side to side, inspecting her face closely in the bathroom mirror. It had taken a lot of ice and some muscle relaxing ointment she had found in her parent's room but the swelling in her face had finally gone down enough for her to start trying to cover it up. There had been too many close calls with Agasa earlier that morning. She had thought she would wake up early enough to leave without him noticing but she hadn't been able to shake off the sleep clogging her brain fast enough.

The original plan had been to go over to clear her aching head. There was just something about Agasa's house that put her, and her family's, mind at ease. And it worked after a while. Eventually dozing off had been her goal; breaking down and yelling at Agasa had not been.

 _'Ugh, how embarrassing,'_ she thought irritably, poking along the edges of the bruise and trying not to flinch. The makeup was doing a great job in covering the worst of the damage along her cheek but she still had a rather obvious black eye. That was swelled up too much to cover yet. _'At least I kept this mess from him. Plus its just bruising, nothing broken.'_

Broken noses were pains in the ass.

As were concussions. She could do without the constant pounding pain.

Shizuka let her hand fall against the sink tiredly, letting out a heavy sigh. She was still irritated and shaky, her brain working overdrive. She needed to regain control of herself.

Flicking off the light to the bathroom she snagged her cellphone off its charger.

Ran picked up on the fourth ring.

"Hello?"

"Hello Ran-chan," Shizuka greeted, grabbing two empty water bottles from the kitchen and starting to fill them up. "I was wondering if Conan-chan was free today. I have some news from his parents and I want to talk to him before I leave tomorrow."

"You're leaving?" Ran asked, the sound of music being dimmed down in the background. "I thought all of your work is in Beika now?"

"It's not for work," Shizuka replied easily, pulling out some of the food Ran had prepared for her earlier in the week and separating it into two small containers. "I was invited to Osaka by a… friend and I'll be down there for a few days. I mainly wanted to take a few pictures of Conan-chan to send to his parents before I left so that they don't worry."

"Oh, that sounds fun! I don't think Conan-chan has any plans. He's been feeling down these last few days so I'm sure it will do him some good. He's over at the Professor's house right now so I'll call over and ask him to drop Conan-chan at your house instead of back here."

Shizuka crushed the immediate paranoia that Agasa would tell Shinichi everything that happened. He wouldn't do that, not after all these years.

"Sounds good. I'll drop him off later when we're done."

"Okay, bye Shizuka!"

"Goodbye."

Tucking her phone into her back pocket Shizuka finished packing up her green backpack and went to leave it by the front door. Forcing her aching muscles to challenge the stairs she slipped into her room to change into a white tank top and light blue shorts. After tucking her hair into its usual ponytail she took it a step further than usual by clipping her bangs back with simple blue barrettes. Putting on her tennis shoes she went back down, slung the bag over her shoulder, and moved to wait outside Agasa's home.

It didn't take Shinichi long to show up. She had barely been waiting for a minute before her brother bounded around the corner. His blue jacket was gone, leaving only his white dress shirt and bow tie. The overlarge glasses that usually took a spot along the bridge of his nose were gone as well.

"What happened to your glasses?" Shizuka wondered.

"What happened to your _eye_ ," Shinichi threw back, his own eyes riveted on the part of the bruise he could see on her face.

Shizuka shrugged nonchalantly. "There was a mistake in a takedown yesterday. I… wasn't paying attention like I should have."

Shinichi scowled at her and crossed his arms. "So I have to be at the top of my game one hundred percent of the time but you get to make mistakes and pretend its fine? Agasa said you slept over last night but he didn't mention your eye so I'm guessing you didn't tell him."

Shizuka felt her eyebrow twitch, which only made her wince. "…I'll admit I should have been more careful, but I have a shining reminder of that already. The difference, brat, is that I didn't go looking for the trouble. Your concern is touching though, thanks."

…That came out far more snippy than she had intended, but her head hurt and she had honestly been expecting at least a little bit of concern for her health.

Shinichi huffed, looking off to the side.

Shizuka breathed heavily through her nose. Pushing herself off the wall she massaged her temple. "…You were obviously in the middle of something with Agasa, so I'll keep this short then." Kami her head was killing her. "I am going to Osaka tomorrow to look into a new lead in the Kazimir case. I will be gone for a few days and I may have my phone on silent while investigating. Is there anything I need to know before I leave?"

He narrowed his eyes first at her and then towards the bag slung over her shoulder. "…Is that really the only reason you wanted to see me?"

"Well it is now," she snapped, making him twitch. "Sorry," she moved to fiddle with her camera straps only to realize she had left it at home. "I'm still on edge from yesterday. Seriously Shinichi, is there anything I need to know before I leave?"

He shuffled on his feet, scratching the back of his head. "No, nothing you can help with at least. I- we're still looking for Masami-san but Professor Agasa is helping me with that. He gave me tracking glasses but they need to charge," he muttered out, not quite looking her in the eye.

"Alright," she sighed, rolling her shoulder. "Text me if anything changes then. I'm going to go pack for the trip."

"Wait!" Shinichi shot in front of her when she turned to go. "Look, I'm sorry Shizu. I didn't mean for it to come out that way. I'm- I'm glad you're okay."

Shizuka looked down at him, judging the sincerity of his words. He was looking her in the eye this time and it didn't seem like he was lying.

"It's okay," she eventually conceded. "You're stressed too, I'm sure. Which is exactly why we both need a break. How long will it take Agasa to charge your, uh, 'tracking' glasses?"

"Two hours at most. I think," he replied with a slight smile.

Shizuka nodded, adjusting the straps again. "Plenty of time then. Want to go to the park and stretch?"

"Sure," Shinichi shrugged, tucking his hands in his pockets. "Did you bring food?"

"Of course."

It was something they had always done when they were younger, and with decreasing frequency as they got older. Many of the self-defense moves they had been taught throughout their life required a flexible body and it also kept them feeling light on their feet. So they would pack some food and head to the park where their parents couldn't loom over them with critiques and lessons. It was a space and time just for them where they could relax and simply enjoy each other's company.

"You didn't cook did you?"

"Shut it Shinichi, before I change my mind."

-00-

"So your buttons are the trackers?" Shizuka stretched to grab her left foot while doing the splits. Across from her Shinichi mirrored her, reaching for his right.

"Not the buttons, they're like stickers that go on the buttons," he explained. "Should you be doing this right now? You have a concussion."

"Minor concussion," she corrected, switching over to her right. "As long as I don't do anything strenuous I should be fine, and this is the opposite of strenuous. I haven't stretched since I got back."

Shinichi hummed in agreement. "It was hard to keep up on with everything going on. I have to come up with a new schedule for training now that I live with Ran."

"Makes sense," she nodded. With the amount of times they both had to use self-defense keeping up with their stretching and workouts was a necessity. Too long without either and they might not be fast enough or skilled enough when the situation calls for it. "We could always start meeting up again. Probably not on Mondays anymore, but Thursdays and the weekend should cut it as long as we find personal time too."

He thought about it, stretching straight forwards and lightly placing his nose on the ground. "I guess. It would give us time to exchange info too. Let's start when you get back from Osaka."

"Kay."

Silence blanketed over them comfortably. Shizuka made sure not to push herself too far. The point of this was to make her feel better, not cause her brain to cave in on itself.

"Time's almost up," Shinichi noticed, tapping his phone with his toe. "Lunch?"

Shizuka leaned back to grab her bag. "Sure. I brought Ran-chan's cooking."

They shared matching grins.

"So what's your lead on Masami-san? Does it have to do with your new trackers?" Shizuka asked, moving her legs in front of her and crossing them at the ankles.

Shinichi stayed in the splits as he ate, digging into his food like a vacuum. "I-We have a suspect that we think kidnapped her. I had originally put the tracker on Masami-san's watch but when I tried to follow it, it lead me to him instead. I didn't realize it at the time though so he got away."

"How'd you figure out it was him if you didn't know then?" Shizuka wondered, shoveling some more rice into her mouth.

"That detective with the big eyes was looking for the guy and when he showed us a picture I recognized him," he explained, tossing the last of his meal back and letting out a happy sigh.

"Ah. So once your glasses are charged you can find him and most likely Masami-san as well. Want me to come along?"

Shinichi looked at her, gaze drifting towards her eye. "…If you want, but you have to hang back. This is my case after all."

Shizuka snorted. 'Hang back' meant 'don't get hurt' in Shinichi's language. "Alright, I'll do my best. Are the others coming as well?"

"I was planning on it," he shrugged, ignoring her surprised look. "I wasn't going to go running after him when I'm like this."

"So you _can_ be taught."

"Shut it!"

-00-

Shizuka leaned against the wall to the Mouri Detective Agency. It didn't seem like a good idea to face Agasa again after what had happened. He probably wouldn't even bring it up, just send her some concerned glances, but she felt horribly embarrassed with how she had acted. Plus Shinichi would be there too, and she didn't want him getting clued in to anything so instead she rushed home to grab her dark green jacket in case the weather changed while they were out.

"I'm back," Shinichi greeted when he ran up, glasses now back where they belonged. "I was originally going to tell them that I saw the man when I was walking around, but since you're here you should do it instead."

"Of course your majesty," Shizuka mock bowed. "I live to serve."

"Ha ha," he deadpanned. "It will work better since you're older."

"I know, I was just messing with you," Shizuka smirked.

Shinichi rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore her. As they walked in they could hear loud yelling from the main office.

"No, no, jab your arm out more!" Kogoro was ordering.

"Oh, uh," there was a soft reply. The siblings pushed open the door in time to see the strange detective from earlier (sunglasses covering his eyes once more) pointing sharply at the wall. "The criminal is you!"

"What the hell are they doing?" Shinichi muttered, eye twitching.

Shizuka shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. This really was just like a T.V. drama.

"They're doing 'detective training'," Ran explained to the side. She sighed in exasperation as Kogoro continued to lecture the much larger man about the finer points of being a detective.

"Right," they both said slowly.

"Anyway," Shizuka said loudly to get their attention. "I thought I should let you all know. Conan-chan showed me that picture of the man you guys are looking for. I saw him downtown just earlier today."

"What?!" they cried.

"Did you see Masami-san?" Ran asked, eyes wide.

"Unfortunately no," Shizuka shook her head. "But if he is in fact the kidnapper she'll probably be close by."

Kogoro stormed over and grabbed his shoes. "Then what are we waiting for?! Let's go!"

They all piled outside right as a taxi pulled in.

"What the heck?" Kogoro looked at it oddly.

Shizuka waved her phone at him. "I called it before I came in. Figured you would want this solved as soon as possible. You three sit in the back, Conan-chan can sit with me."

Before he could complain about being bossed around Ran grabbed him and practically stuffed him inside. One glare was all it took for the larger to detective to squeeze in after him.

Shizuka opened her own door and sat down. She opened her arms widely.

"Here Conan-chan!"

He grimaced but allowed himself to be picked up.

"Good boy," Shizuka patted his head. She gave a slight 'oof' when he elbowed her.

"Where too?" The driver asked.

"Turn on 22nd," Shinichi muttered.

Shizuka relayed the directions, the process repeating as they went. Kogoro kept grumbling in the back but they both ignored him.

"There!" Shinichi pointed as they turned the last corner. The Enyuo City Hotel loomed over them.

"That's an expensive place," Shizuka noted.

Her brother nodded, brow furrowed. "He hasn't moved for a long time. What if he took off the watch?"

"Let's go."

Throwing a couple bills at the driver Shizuka jumped out. She kept a hold of Shinichi knowing that in his smaller form he ran a bit slower. The rest of their group was right behind them. Kogoro approached the front desk and pulled out a picture from his pocket.

"Excuse me," he called to get the receptionist's attention. "Do you recognize this man?"

"Hmm?" the rounded man looked it over. "Ah, yes! I believe he is in room 802."

Shizuka turned on her heel to the elevator, Shinichi reaching out to hit the button. As Ran moved to stand next to her she could feel the tension in the air around them continue to rise.  
The doors open, but as they rushed in someone moved to step out.

There was a loud crash. A large pile of suitcases toppled over, their owner giving a shout of surprise.

"For the love of-!" Kogoro cut himself off and quickly started setting them back up. The woman who owned them thanked them with a smile, most of her face covered by large sunglasses and a hat.

 _'Do I know her?'_ Shizuka shook her head, helping to pick up the cases. _'Not the time. I'll think about it later.'_

Once the woman was back on her way they all crowded into the elevator, Kogoro smashing the button for floor 8 rapidly.

"Come on, come on, come on," Conan hopped from foot to foot. Ran rested a hand on his head to calm him.

As the doors cracked open Kogoro wrestled his way through and took off down the hallway. Shizuka and the other detective were right behind him, followed by Ran and Conan.

"Hey, Giant!" Kogoro beat on the door. "I know you're in there!"

"Wait!" Shizuka held out her hand. She could pick the lock before the man knew they were there!

Kogoro blinked when the door creaked open, having been pushed open by his own hands.

"It was unlocked," he frowned, pushing it the rest of the way. "What?!"

Ran screamed when they caught sight of him. The man they had been looking for was slumped over just past the door, a soda can held loosely in his hands. Blood covered the front of his shirt, pooling over from his mouth as his eyes looked down covered in a glass film.

"He's dead!" the large detective cried, hands shaking.

Kogoro grabbed his handkerchief from his pocket, using it to pry the can from the dead man's hands.

"Potassium cyanide," he informed them after smelling it. "…he must have committed suicide from the guilt of his actions."

Shizuka shook her head. That didn't seem right. Something was off with this picture.

"What about Masami-san?" Ran gulped, face ashen.

Her father shook his head. "Before we can look for her we need to contact the police. Wait here!"

Shinichi stared at the man on the floor intently, eyes narrowed. His gaze flitted from his watch to the empty linoleum cases he could just barely see behind him.

"What?!" Kogoro's conversation on the phone carried over. "What do you mean Hiroto was a bachelor? He had a daughter!"

Shinichi grabbed Shizuka's hand, pulling her down once he got her attention.

"This wasn't a suicide," he whispered harshly, and she nodded in agreement. "Masami-san is the killer. When her father saw her he wasn't shocked, he was afraid! She must have killed this man too!"

Shizuka looked around quickly, categorizing what she could see. "He hasn't been dead for long, the blood hasn't dried yet. She must be close."

Shinichi wracked his brain for what clues he could put together. His mind flashed to the elevator.

"The woman we ran into!" he realized. "They acted differently but she was the same build and she had enough suitcases to match the empty ones here!"

Shizuka didn't bother to reply. Grabbing her brother she pushed past Ran and out the door.

"Shizuka! Conan-chan! Wait!"

Bypassing the elevator completely Shizuka raced down the stairs, Ran right behind her.

"Where are you going?!"

"We might know where Masami-san is!" Conan turned in Shizuka's grip to see her.

Ran's expression hardened and she picked up her pace.

"There!" Shizuka skidded to a halt outside. The woman from earlier had just pulled away in a cab. There was a long line for the next one. Shizuka stormed up to the front and shoved her way between the next man in line and the next cab.

"Move!" she demanded.

The man glared at her angrily. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Ran appeared at their side, shoving her self into the man's face.

"My father is being buried alive and soon to be cut to pieces and if I don't get there in time it will be too late!" she roared.

The man paled and stepped back, gesturing for them to get in.

"Follow that cab," Shizuka ordered the moment they were seated.

"Uh, okay?" the driver stuttered, wondering about the mountain they had mentioned.

They followed the woman's cab for twenty solid minutes, their nerves tightening the further they went.

"Wait," Shizuka frowned, bringing her hand up to cup the lower portion of her face. "I've definitely seen her before. Where did I…?"

The attempted murder earlier that week. The killer was a woman, but large sunglasses and a hat had hid her entire face. She had also worn boots and a trench coat similar to the woman in the elevator.

"Are they the same person?" she chewed on the inside of her lip. "The disguise is the same, build is about right, it could be."

"What?" Shinichi leaned over to hear her.

"Nothing important right now," Shizuka shook her head. "I can't confirm it yet."

Shinichi would have pressed for more but the cab had pulled to a stop.

"Uh, here you are," their driver gestured to the port on their right. Masami's taxi was just beginning to leave ahead of them.

Shizuka tossed some bills at him just as she had done before and they left the car behind.

They had lost sight of her. There were shipping containers lining the area, it would be impossible to see her unless they actually ran into her.

"Split up," Shizuka nodded to them. "Ran, you and Conan-chan go that way. I'll go this way. Stay in contact."

She pulled out her cellphone and called Ran's number. Ran answered, nodded, and they took off separate ways.

 _'There shouldn't be any ships leaving this harbor right now,'_ Shizuka hands shook as she breathed heavily. Ever since the hotel her head had been throbbing and now her bruised eye was getting hard to keep open. _'This is one of Mitsuriko Mako's ports. They've been closed down until his case is finished and the sea around it is under watch now. She wouldn't take a boat out of here.'_

"Nothing yet," Ran's voice crackled next to her ear. "What about you Shizuka?"

"Nothing," she breathed heavily. There were spots dancing in her vision, forcing her to stop. "Damn it."

"Shizuka?" Ran asked worriedly.

"It's nothing," she placated. "Keep looking, we'll find her."

"Okay, we'll AHHHH!"

Shizuka jumped, the loud sound sending a stab of pain through her head. "Ran? Ran what happened?"

"Masami-san! Masami-san was shot! I-I have to call an ambulance!"

Shizuka didn't have time to say another word before the call disconnected. She stared at her phone dumbly for a moment before her brain finally kicked in.

 _'Either suicide or there is a shooter hanging around. No time to be running around.'_

Forcing her breath to level out Shizuka looked at the shipping containers around her closely. The one near the far end was just small enough to maybe climb on top of.

Forcing her feet forward she allowed her left eye to remain closed until she got to it. Jumping as high as she could her fingers barely found a grip on the bar lining the top. Swinging her legs a bit she pulled herself up and over the top before lying flat along the roof. Her legs gave out when she tried to stand.

"Fuck you and your steroid fists Mako," she cursed angrily as her vision swayed. "Damn it, get a grip!"

Stumbling to her feet she pulled out her small camera from her back pocket (she knew she should have grabbed her big one when she had the chance). Lifting it to her good eye she scanned over the parts of the pier she could see.

Two shadowed figures were getting into a shining silver car near the edge of the pier.

She hit the shutter as fast as she could, trying to get as many details as possible. The car was at the wrong angle to read the license plate, she could not see their faces from this distance and likely would not be able to zoom in the pictures well enough either, but one detail stuck out enough for her to notice.

They were dressed entirely in black.

As they drove away Shizuka allowed herself to fall to her knees, hands braced against the cool metal of the container she was on. Leaning forward she shuddered as her head touched the surface and the chill encompassed her forehead.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there. When the throbbing dulled to a more manageable pain she scooted over to hop of the edge and head back towards Ran and Shinichi.

When she found them they were both hunched over another person on the ground. Shizuka rushed over.

Masami was on the ground gasping for air, one hand clenched tightly around her brother's. Shizuka dropped to her knees on her other side, tearing off her jacket and holding it over the pool of blood on her left shoulder.

"Ran, give me your jacket. Conan-chan, yours too," Shizuka ordered, putting even more pressure on the wound.

Small hands joined hers, holding a blue jacket that was quickly soaked.

"Put yours over her legs Ran-neechan," Conan directed her. "We have to keep her warm."

"O-okay," she rushed to cover the woman's legs. "Now what?"

"Go back to the front and wait for the ambulance. They're going to need directions," Shizuka explained quickly.

Ran stood and rushed off. There were sounds of sirens in the distance.

"Masami-san, can you hear me?" Shizuka leaned forward to look her in the eye.

"Y-yes," she choked, eyes clenched in pain and sweat beading her forehead. "D-don't bother. I won't-"

"What is your blood type?" Shizuka ignored her. The woman was silent. "Masami-san, what is your blood type?"

"A… Positive."

"Do you have any allergies?"  
"N-no."

There was a rush of footsteps headed towards them. Ran turned the corner followed by her father and a handful of paramedics.

Shizuka told them the information she had learned and stepped back so they could take over. They lifted Masami onto a stretcher and carted her away, Ran following after them worriedly.

Shinichi pulled her to the side and out of the way by a dark green container, his face set into a dark glare.

"It was them," Shinichi ground out, hands clenched so tightly they shook. "She told me. It was the men in black."

"I know," Shizuka sunk down heavily to sit next to him and pulled out her camera. "I got a picture of them."

He gaped at her before fumbling for her camera.

"The picture's not good enough to identify who they are," she explained, "but it's enough for us. If we find proof about them, then this can be proof that they were here."

Shinichi collapsed next to her with a sigh, half-heartedly handing back her camera. She set it down next to her, resting her full weight on her hands.

"You okay?" he looked her over, concern lighting his face.

She breathed steadily through her nose for a few seconds. "…Concussions are a pain in the ass."

He laughed blankly. "What do we do now?"

"Well," she groaned, fully laying down now and ignoring the coldness of the concrete that immediately seeped through her clothes. "I'm going to Osaka. I'm going to that house and I'll hopefully find some clues. You are going to stay here and wait for Masami to be well enough to talk. She might have more information. Figure out more ways to defend yourself while you're like that too."

He grimaced, flicking a pebble away from his shoe. He stared down at his blood-covered hands with sad eyes. "That doesn't feel like enough."

"I know," she reached out and dragged him down too, letting him have his own space but keeping a hand on top of his head. "I know."

Kogoro paid for their cab back. The drive was made in stilted silence, no one willing to talk about what had just happened. When they were dropped off in front of Mouri's Agency Shizuka gave Ran a quick hug, asking her to call her with any news about Masami, nodded at Kogoro, and bent down to give her brother a hug.

"You did well today Shinichi," she spoke softly as his hands rose to hug her back. "Stay safe."

"You too," he replied just as softly.

Separating Shizuka waved goodbye and walked slowly back home. She still had to pack for the trip tomorrow. There was no way she could miss it now. That house was their best shot at catching those killers and she'd be damned if she let it slip away.

-00-

"Good morning!" Yuuko called loudly as the limo door swung open before the driver could even get close enough to try to open it. She wore a white and black-checkered dress with a color that dipped far too low and a bright white sunhat.

Shizuka stared at her blankly for a long moment from her place on the porch. She had chosen brown yoga pants and a hooded black vest over an orange t-shirt. Yuuko's arrival was a stark contrast against her mood after the night before. "…Good morning Yuuko-san. I wasn't aware we would be traveling by limo."

"Oh of course we're going by limo, don't be ridiculous," Yuuko waved her words away with a flick of her wrist as though it wasn't seven in the morning, before coming to stand by her. "And I told you to call me Yuuko-chan! We're friends now!"

"…Right."

Yuuko continued to babble away as Shizuka lifted her bags into the back of the car (after telling the driver that she was perfectly capable of handling her own things). Once they had both slid in Yuuko chose the seat right next to her instead of anywhere else in the open area of seats, not breaking her speech for a moment. There had yet to be any news about Masami's treatment, though Shizuka had sent Avelia a text to let him know she would need to be under protection. He replied that he had figured, with the unknown gunman being free, but thanked her anyway.

Shizuka glanced out the window when she felt the car turn left instead of right. "I believe we are going the opposite way from Osaka."

Yuuko paused and looked as well. "Oh! Didn't I tell you? Yoko-chan is joining us and we have to pick her up from Hana-chan's house."

"Oh," she perked up. Perhaps the trip would be a bit more relaxed with Yoko added to the mix. Hopefully Yuuko would turn her attentions towards her fellow idol instead.

"Yes, now, as I was saying-"

It was a very long drive. Yuuko had apparently been under the impression that Shizuka loved shopping as much as she did and was in the process of listing off every boutique known to man when they came to a stop.

"Lets greet her at the door," Shizuka said hurriedly, pushing the door open and jumping out. Yuuko followed after her and they both made their way up the steps to the small light blue house. Fujie Hana greeted them at the door.

"Hello Yuuko-chan, and Detective-chan! It's so great to see you!" the old woman smiled warmly. She was wearing another one of those floral print dresses, although this one was light blue with white flowers. There was a small locket hanging from her neck by a chain and she was barefoot as she opened the door.

Shizuka returned the smile with a small one of her own. Thank Kami the swelling had gone down enough for her to brave covering her eye. The elderly woman had enough on her plate, she didn't need to be worrying about wayward investigators too. "Hello Fujie-san. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm getting by," she reached out to grab Shizuka's hand and the shorter woman didn't bother to fight her. "It is very nice having Yoko-chan in the house. It just- it's so quiet sometimes you know?"

"Yes," Shizuka answered simply, squeezing back when the grip on her hand got tighter. "Will you be okay for the next few days while she is gone?"

Hana laughed lightly. "Yes, yes, don't worry about me. It would be good for Yoko-chan to get out of the house for a while, and the same goes for me! While you three are off having fun some of my girlfriends and I will be going to the hot springs for a day!"

"That's great!" Shizuka's smile widened. "I'm sure you'll have fun."

Yoko chose that moment to peek around the door, eyes as bright as the silk yellow tank top she was wearing to match her white capris. "Hello! I'll be out in just a moment!"

"Do you need help?" Shizuka asked, tipping to the side slightly when Yuuko brushed past her.

"Of course she needs help," the older woman scoffed. "You should have seen the way she packed for our first overnight job. She brought three suitcases. Three!"

"Yuuko-chan!" Yoko blushed brightly.

Yuuko ignored her, placing both hands on her shoulders and leading her away.

"Oh those girls," Hana laughed. "They bicker like my sister and I."

Shizuka tilted her head. "Really? You don't seem like the bickering type."

Hana sent her a blank look. "Every sibling bickers Detective-chan. It is simply how things are."

Shizuka's thoughts flashed to her brother. "Point taken." She peered over the older woman's shoulder, making sure the idols had gone far enough away. "Fujie-san, if you would like, my house is open to guests while I am away."

Hana looked at her in surprise, her free hand rising to fiddle with the chain of her necklace. "I-oh. Well, I couldn't do that, it's _your_ home-"

"Which is open to you," Shizuka cut in. "It is also for my benefit as well. I would feel better knowing you weren't here by yourself when you return from the hot springs."

Hana was silent for a long time, head bowed in thought. She released her chain and placed both hands over Shizuka's

"This house… has a lot memories. Not all of them good, but most of them. Sometimes I- I wake up and walk into the kitchen expecting him to be waiting for me. Like always. Or I find myself wondering if I should call him just to check up on him. I forget sometimes that he is- he is-"

She was beginning to waver, eyes misting over as her voice cracked. Shizuka placed her free hand over hers.

"I'm fine," Hana choked, taking a deep breath to compose herself. "I-I'm fine. Truly. It just becomes too much sometimes. Believe it or not," she chuckled bitterly, "it's the good days that end up being the worst. I wake up and I feel almost normal for a moment, and then I _remember_ and it's like I- like I…"

"Lost him all over again," Shizuka filled in for her softly.

Hana let out a quiet sob and Shizuka did what she had the first time. She pulled her into a hug and waited for her to calm down.

Surprisingly during that whole time neither Yuuko nor Yoko made a reappearance. Shizuka suspected that was Yuuko's doing. The woman had gone oddly silent when they had first greeted Hana and was quick to disappear right after.

"I'm sorry," Hana pushed away after her tears had slowed, dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve. "I thought I was doing better but I…"

She trailed off and Shizuka scrambled for words to help.

"You are doing better Hana-san. Getting through even a day without him is doing better. Crying isn't a step back, it's just a," she fought for the words, "a natural reaction to pain."

Hana gave her a wobbling smile, sniffing as she patted her hands and drew back fully.

"Thank you Shizuka. Truly." She looked behind her, at her home, and sighed. "I don't think I'll take you up on that offer though. This is where I remember him most and I'm not quite ready to leave that for very long."

Shizuka sighed through her nose. "I understand. If you decide to change your mind you can ask my neighbor Hakase Agasa for a key."

"I'll keep that in mind."

There was a loud commotion from somewhere in the house. Hana rubbed at her eyes quickly and straightened her shoulders just in time for Yuuko and Yoko to turn the corner with a bag held in each of their hands.

"I can't believe you," Yuuko was shaking her head. "First you pack far too much and now you pack nothing at all."

Yoko blushed and scrunched up her nose, but her eyes drifted over towards Hana in concern. Shizuka wondered how much they had heard.

"I'll be leaving now Hana-chan," Yoko stepped up next to her and set her bag down.

Hana drew her in for a hug. "You have fun dear, and call me when you get there so I know that you are safe."

"Of course."

The two separated and Hana moved to give a surprised Yuuko a hug as well.

"Goodbye Yuuko-chan, you stay safe as well okay?"

Shizuka felt her lips twitch up into a smile when Yuuko's face softened and she returned the hug with ferocity.

"Of course Hana-san! I'll keep these two in line and we'll be back before you know it!"

Hana laughed through the hug and gave one last one to Shizuka (which she accepted readily) before the three moved back towards the limo.

As they pulled away from the curb Yuuko rolled down the windows so they could all lean out to wave goodbye (or yell goodbye in Yuuko's case).

Once they were far enough away that they could no longer see her they sat back down and rolled the windows back up.

"So," Yuuko started, causing Shizuka to sigh, "Now that we are all here I have something very important to ask."

"Yes Yuuko-chan?" Yoko smiled brightly.

"Where shall we shop first?!"

Yoko clapped her hands excitedly and began listing off all of the places she new, Yuuko listening avidly. Shizuka groaned and leaned her head back against the seat. Maybe they wouldn't notice if she slept the whole way.

"What do you think Shizuka?"

Or not.

-00-

The first day was mostly uneventful. Whatever job Yoko and Yuuko had it wasn't until the next day so they spent their first one driving around and finding all the places they would want to visit. It had already been fairly late by the time they arrived so it only took about two trips around a few blocks before they were all too tired from the ride to continue on.

Yoko's new manager (a short red-haired man that seemed about ready to explode with energy) had managed to get them a rather luxurious suite in one of the fancier hotels. They could each have their own bedroom if they wanted it.

Yuuko, of course, refused to let that be the case and instead commissioned them to grab all of the best pillows and blankets and bring them to the main room. It had been a long time since Shizuka had a sleepover like this (ignoring the overlarge room and sparkling walls of course). It wasn't so bad, especially when the two fell asleep the second their heads hit the pillows. They were nice people but Shizuka had hit her talking limit the moment she had left home that morning.

The following morning was when things were put into motion.

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Yoko asked worriedly as she pulled her hair into a delicate braid She was wearing a simple white dress underneath her tan coat, ready to change once she arrived at work. "It doesn't feel right leaving you here all by yourself."

Shizuka waved away her concerns, burrowing further into the grey bathrobe she had commandeered and lifting her cup of coffee up to her face. The showers had this setting on them that controlled extra steam and she was seriously debating on getting it installed at home.

"It's fine Yoko-san, I'm not one for sitting around on sets. I did that enough as a child with my mother. And I won't be here the whole time. I'll go for a walk around town and find more places for us to visit. Its more fun that way."

"She'll be fine Yoko!" Yuuko's voice echoed down to them from where she was getting ready. "Everyone gets bored on set unless you're actually working, and besides she can take care of herself! She's a big girl!" There was a slight pause. "Kind of."

Shizuka narrowed her eyes in the tall woman's direction, sipping slowly at her coffee.

Yoko smiled slightly at her, clearly amused, before nodding. "Alright, if you say so Shizuka-chan. Just call us if you change your mind okay? I have some games we can play between shoots."

Absolutely not.

"I'll let you know," Shizuka smiled back. "Now you two should get going, you don't want to be late."

"Oh!" Yoko glanced at the clock. "You're right! Yuuko-chan we have to go!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

Shizuka saw the off, waving lazily as they left. She had been expecting their interactions to feel more awkward, seeing as how they hardly knew each other and she was, well, herself. But Yuuko could hold her own conversation for hours and Yoko didn't seem to care that she preferred to remain silent. It was actually starting to feel like a trip with friends.

Still, she had things to do.

Ambling over to her bags she pulled out her outfit for the day. Time to get some answers.

-00-

The house was small. Quaint. It was a simple brown color with only one floor and a small front yard. A tiny garden took up residence underneath one of the two windows on the front of the house. The plants were beginning to wither and the yard was looking overgrown. Other than that it looked like a simple, nondescript house. Cute but not eye catching.

The perfect place for secrets to pass unnoticed.

Slipping a pair of black gloves on her hands Shizuka took a quick glance around the neighborhood. No one was outside and it looked like the neighbors were gone. No one to question the woman hanging around a deceased owners house. Even if there were, she was dressed in an all black dress(for mourning of course) and had a photo shopped picture of Hershel Drake and her as a twelve-year-old tucked in her handbag. She was his younger cousin.

Pausing at the mailbox she flicked it open and peered inside. It was completely empty. No advertisements or anything. This either meant that they managed to get their address hidden so well it would never appear on any document other than the lease (which was very promising) or that someone had already come by and gone through the house. She was hoping for the former.

Approaching the front door her eyes zeroed in on a small camera in the corner of the overhang by the door.

 _'Pretty good camera,'_ she noted, spotting another one by the bushes of the garden. _'Covers all the blind spots too. So decent security then. That's promising.'_

She placed her hand over the doorknob, eyes narrowing as she felt it buzz lightly under her touch.

 _'All right, upgrade that to great security. Does it need a key?'_

She toed at the rug by her feet, not overly surprised at the lack of key underneath. As she stood on one foot to kick it back into place she moved her hand along the wall searchingly. Her thumb brushed over an inconspicuous scratch in the wood, but she paused when it pressed down slightly. Focusing on the scratch she reached up and pulled one of the metal pins in her hair out, inserting it into the crack. Moving it around a little she was rewarded when the tip caught at a certain angle and loosened the fake panel enough for her to open it. A keypad with a standard number pad was underneath.

"Huh," she tilted her head. Some of the numbers looked more worn down than the others. "Let's see."

As she narrowed down which were the most worn down she pulled a tissue from her pocket and held it up to her lips, hunching her shoulders in order to maker herself look smaller. If anyone were to pass by she would look like she was trying to hold herself together, as though looking at the house pained her.

 _'This is a more recent model by the looks of it, but this company still enforces the standard six digit code. Six of the numbers are worn away, which makes that part easier. There shouldn't be any doubles of any number. The grease on the finger they would use would have rubbed off the most on the first few numbers making the first three…3,9,2. Next is 4. These two are almost equally worn. I can't tell. Hopefully I get more than once chance to punch it in.'_

Taking an exaggeratedly deep breath, she reached a trembling finger out to press in the numbers.

392467.

It was an agonizing silence after that until she heard a buzz and a small click come from the door. Touching the handle once more, she could no longer feel the electricity humming through it.

"Perfect," she grinned into the tissue. Stepping inside, she closed the door behind her. It clicked and buzzed again, a small hum filling the air to let her know it was armed once more.

The inside of the house was just as cute as the outside, and she vaguely wondered which of the two men had been the one to decorate it. She didn't know Drake at all, but Kazimir definitely did not seem like the decorating type.

Another camera turned slowly in the main room on the left and she could just barely hear another moving in the kitchen just down the small hallway. The walls were painted a light, sky blue color while the borders were a simple white with small, engraved vines travelling along it. The hallway had a wooden floor while the main room had fluffy looking white carpet. There were only two pieces of furniture. A large, light brown couch and a simple wooden table with an arrangement of wilted flowers on the top. There was a layer of dust on everything, and she wasn't sure if she should blame it on the owners being recently deceased. Just a quick glance around at what she could see showed a severe lack of personal possessions. Nothing showcasing who lived here.

' _That's odd. The garden, while withered, obviously underwent a lot of care while they were alive. The good condition of the house and carefully painted walls shows a great care for appearance, but there is little to no furniture. No pictures would make sense, I suppose, but no art? No chairs to match the decor or baubles to fill the space?'_

She strode toward the kitchen, noting the two closed doors on the left and right side of the hallway. She would get to those in a moment.

Exploring the dining area was just as odd as the main room. The colors were relatively the same, and the small dining table was small, round, and rather charming to look at. Two chairs were set at opposite ends, expertly crafted and matching the rounded look of the room. Other than that, there was nothing. Basic utensils in the cupboards, a few pots and pans, and while the appliances were designed with little matching hearts they seemed relatively unused. The only thing in the refrigerator was a nearly empty carton of milk and a few rotting apples.

Shizuka pulled open the few drawers inside the fridge, just in case, and was rewarded with a Tupperware container just big enough to hold a meal for one person, with a sticky note attached to it.

 _Haru,_

 _Don't forget to eat. See you in a few days._

 _Love,_

 _Hershel_

"Hmm," she hummed sadly. Cracking the lid off she took in the simple Rice Pilaf with extra pieces of chicken tucked to one side.

She hoped that whatever Kazimir and Drake's last meal had been it had at least been eaten together.

After closing the container and replacing it in the refrigerator Shizuka moved on to the doorway that had been on the left.

A small bathroom with no bath just a shower. A standard toilet and sink with a toothbrush container holding one blue and one red brush. A medicine cabinet with half a tube of toothpaste and a small orange medicine bottle.

 _'Nothing in either of their medical files said anything about a prescription,'_ Shizuka picked up the bottle with deft fingers. _'Which is odd in itself for men their age with the jobs they have. I would expect at least a mild painkiller or something for blood pressure.'_

Twisting the bottle between her fingers so that the label faced her she shook the bottle, hearing only a few small rattles.

 _'Amoxicillin? So one of them needed antibiotics but this is too commonly used. Usually for lung infections of some kind though. No doctor on the prescription, so these probably were not legally obtained. What reason did they have to hide this?'_

Tucking the bottle away in her handbag Shizuka closed the bathroom door and moved to the last room.

The handle buzzed underneath her hand.

"Secrets~," she sang softly under her breath. Kazimir wasn't likely to do the same trick twice, and the walls were plastered. Any cracks or cuts would be far too obvious.

 _'The off switch could be in another room,'_ she guessed, moving back down the hallway towards the main room. _'I didn't see anything that stuck out as odd though.'_

Fully stepping into the main room for the first time she took a quick glance around and scowled heavily at the medium sized painting hanging on the wall she had been unable to see from the hallway.

 _'Of course I would miss the obvious. At least I'm the only one here.'_

The painting was of a startling blue lake in the middle of a forest clearing. It was fairly beautiful and looked well cared for. Each of the four corners was heavily bolted to the wall.

 _'Odd way to hang up a painting, but the switch most likely won't be behind it then. Not only would it be too time consuming to take it down and put it back up but none of the bolts have scratches on them from whatever tool would be used to remove them,'_ she observed.

Running the tips of her fingers along the edges of the painting she paused at a small bump near one of the bolts before continuing her exploration. There was a second bump on the next bolt, and one on the other two as well.

 _'Buttons of some sort. That must be the key then, but there is probably an order to it.'_

Regardless of the steady ache she still felt from her concussion and the solemn air of a dead man's house Shizuka couldn't help the small thrill she felt at solving the puzzles. This kind of tricky security meant there was something important to hide in that locked room. Shinichi would be jealous.

"Alright then, lets see…" she mumbled to herself, cupping the lower half of her face with one hand and leaning back to see the whole painting better.

 _'Either one of them could have come up with the code. They clearly both spent time here together as well as apart. It most likely won't hold any sentimental meaning judging by the state of the rest of the house, but it would be something they both have some knowledge or experience of. Heavy security also means bolstered paranoia so they would change the code fairly often, but they must not always have had time to tell each other the new code with how busy they were. Perhaps they leave a clue to help each other?'_

Shizuka glanced around the room curiously.

 _'Not the furniture,'_ she decided right away. _'Or the designs on the walls. That would take far too much time to change on a regular basis. The garden is out of the question. Far to open, where any number of people would see them. Something on the doors perhaps?'_

Shizuka wandered around the house checking over the doors for anything easily interchangeable.

"Of course not," she huffed, returning to her spot in front of the painting. She stared at it thoughtfully for a few minutes before her brow furrowed. "That can't be right."

The entire painting was brightly colored with flowers, animals, and butterflies surrounding the lake, but the color blue was reserved solely for the lake. Nothing else had a shade close to it except for one small butterfly with the same color wings in the upper left corner of the painting.

Shizuka brought her face closer, scowling at the tinge of pain when she had to tilt her head up to fully see. Something was wrong with that butterfly. It looked out of place, and not just for its color. It looked as though it had been painted on a completely different canvas as opposed to the one it was actually on.

Pulling out her smaller camera from her bag (the usual one had been a bit too eye catching for this occasion) she took a picture of the butterfly and scanned the rest of the painting for similar oddities.

There were ten butterflies in all that looked like they were painted on similar to the first. Two in the bottom right corner, three in the bottom left, and four in the upper right.

 _'They must act like stickers,'_ she realized, hands itching to attempt taking one off. She didn't want to misplace anything though. Just in case. _'Clever trick. Which one of them came up with that?'_

Starting with the blue butterfly edge Shizuka pressed each button along the bolts in order of the butterflies.

There was no indication of a change when she was done but when she went to check the door the handle was silent beneath her hand.

"Hmhm~," she hummed happily, pushing it open to reveal a rather spacious bedroom. There were no windows but one of the walls was lined with security screens. "Very helpful."

She glanced over the screens as she entered, tallying up the cameras she had seen as well as the ones she had missed (only one, aimed at the back of the house).

Two people were standing in front of the house.

"Shit!" Shizuka cursed, paling at the sight of their black coats. They were not dressed that way for mourning.

The taller one was messing with keypad and even from where she stood further in the house she could hear the click of the front door as it unlocked.

Flinging herself back towards the door she closed it softly, praying that it would rearm itself just like before.

It buzzed under her touch tellingly and she breathed out a small sigh of relief.

She didn't have much time.

First, the cameras. Hastily pulling out a flash drive from her bag she pushed it into the hard drive on the side. Using the keyboard in front of the security system she began downloading as much as she could for as far back as she could find. Leaving that to do its own work she turned to the rest of the room.

 _'Quickly now. Bed big enough for too, skip that. Closet, if I have time. Desk, first choice.'_

Walking on the sides of her feet to decrease any noise she might make she flitted over to the desk and knelt down. Only the bottom drawer was locked.

Snagging her lock picks from the side pocket she worked quickly. There wasn't time to check whatever she found so once it popped open she grabbed the three folders lying inside and stuffed them under her shawl where she kept another, wider bag. Grabbing a folder off the top of the desk (it looked like finances for Kazimir's company) she took a picture of it, put it in the drawer, and locked it back up.

The two figures were in the kitchen now, the shorter one splitting off to check the doors in the hallway.

Miraculously he went to check the bathroom door first.

 _'They have to have a way to escape this room,'_ Shizuka narrowed her eyes sharply. _'There is no way they didn't have a plan, not with their level of paranoia. Close to the bed, so they could leave quickly even if they had been sleeping moments before.'_

The mechanism wouldn't be as complicated as everything else so far. Not if they had to leave fast.

Ducking down Shizuka shoved herself halfway under the bed, using the light of her phone to see clearly.

 _'Where is it, where is it- ah ha!'_

A piece of wood was sticking out just slightly from the frame of the bed on the left side. Sliding out she pushed the wood fully into place and grinned wildly as the edges of another door cracked out next to the closet.

"Did you hear that?" A soft, muffled voice called outside the bedroom door.

Shizuka froze, forcing her breathing to slow quietly.

"What?"

"I thought I heard something over here."

Shizuka rose slowly and walked over to the security screens. Both men were outside the door.

"…It's electrified, just like the front."

"Stay here."

The taller man left down the hallway while the other one stood guard outside.

Shizuka breathed carefully through her nose, removing the flash drive and pulling up the footage from the day.

It would be impossible to erase just herself from the footage with the amount of time she had. She would have to erase the entire day up to this exact moment but whoever was outside would realize that someone had been there once they checked the tapes and found their own entrance erased as well.

It was better than them immediately realizing it was her though.

 **[Are you sure you would like to clear this data? Any footage not backed up to the server will be permanently erased.]**

 _'If this thing automatically backs up data I'm screwed,'_ Shizuka frowned. _'I'll still delete everything. It will at least give me time.'_

Hitting accept she watched the percentage bar pop up. It looked like it was deleting the most recent footages first.

The taller man had found the painting and was looking at it closely.

 _'Time to go!'_ she rushed over when his hand moved towards the top left corner. Wedging her fingers between the cracks that had shown up she managed to pry the escape door open. Thankfully it was silent as it moved, the householder's careful planning working in her favor.

Closing the door behind her she noticed she was in a boxed room just barely big enough to hold three people close together. There was a handle on the left side. Twisting it sharply she pushed it open, harsh light filtering through as she opened it.

It lead to the back of the house in the one corner she had been unable to see from the cameras. The one blind spot.

"The footage is being deleted!" An angry voice yelled behind her.

Closing the door swiftly Shizuka wasted no time in climbing over the fence. Instead of landing in the neighbor's yard she found her feet on a small pathway that ran between the two homes.

 _'There was supposed to be a park around here,'_ Shizuka recalled. Turning away from the street she ran down the path that winded behind the houses. As she went she pulled the pins from her hair and haphazardly reached behind her to undo the zipper of her dress.

The pathway opened up to a wide soccer field with a playground nestled next to it. There were various people milling around so Shizuka stopped behind a tree at the edge of her path and threw her shawl down as she slipped the dress over her shoulders hurriedly. All that she was left in was a white tank top and black shorts. Grabbing the dress, shawl, and small handbag she rolled them all together and stuffed them into the bigger bag she had hidden underneath her shawl earlier.

There was a small grouping of bags over by the playground. Jogging over casually she placed her bag close enough that anyone would mistake it as being part of the groups, but far enough that the actual group wouldn't mind it being there. Stepping back she forced her hair into a pony tail and leaned down to begin stretching her legs.

Once she was warmed up enough she began to jog around the soccer field at a steady pace.

 _'Coffee, caramel, mint, hot chocolate, warm blankets, soft floors,'_ she listed in her head as she ran, attempting to force the agonizing throbbing of her head to lessen. _'Prisoner pajamas, movie marathons, sunset, sunrise, cool breeze.'_

She had almost made a full lap when she saw them. They were standing by the tree she had taken her dress off at, scanning over the faces in the park.

Forcing her eyes forward she continued running even as spots danced across her vision.

 _'Shinichi, Agasa, Ran, Avelia, Miwako, Mom, Dad.'_

The tall one had been looking at the field the entire time. There was no way to be sure if he was looking at her or not but a cold sweat was covering her skin in a solid layer. She turned the last corner and went on for a second lap.

 _'Shinichi, Agasa, Ran, Avelia, Miwako.'_

She couldn't see them now. Her back was to them and it made her want to tense her shoulders and prepare to fight. She nearly bit through her lip in her attempt to keep her shoulders down.

 _'Shinichi, Agasa, Ran, Avelia, Shinichi, Agasa, Ran, Avelia.'_

She didn't pick up her pace even though she desperately wanted to round the next corner so she could see them again.

 _'Shinichi, Agasa, Shinichi, Agasa, Shinichi.'_

When she finally turned the corner less than a minute later she peered out of the corner of her eye.

They weren't there.

They could still be watching.

As she got near the pile of bags again she slowed down her pace until she was walking. Ambling over to the bags she grabbed a clear water bottle (that was definitely not hers) and moved to sit under the shade of the closest tree. Propping her back against the rough bark she stretched out her legs in front of her and gulped down half the bottle.

Recapping it she pushed her arms straight in front of her and worked out a few cool down stretches.

A freezing cold chill shot down her spine, making her want to flinch. Tucking one leg in and the other straight out she touched her nose to her knee instead.

She had switched legs and stretched her back before the feeling passed. Rolling her neck and swinging her arms slightly she rose to her feet and moved back to her bag. Draining the last of the water she pulled out her phone and checked the time.

3:57 with three new messages.

 _Yuuko: we're going to that cute café we saw on our way in! Come join us before we have to go looking for you!_

 _Yoko: Do you remember that little café Yuuko wanted to go to? We're going there for dinner if you would like to join us. We're leaving around 5._

 _Brat: Professor wanted me to tell you he made something for you and he lost his phone. How's the hunt?_

Tapping in her password she replied back to Yuuko and Yoko saying she would be glad to join them before turning to her brother's text.

 _I'm sure it will be great, whatever it is and tell him to check the microwave. That's were it was last time. I caught a big haul this time, but there were some pretty big predators around and I decided to leave instead of push my luck. I'll be back in three days._

The reply was instantaneous.

 _Brat: Be safe_

Shizuka smiled and shoved her phone back in her bag. Tossing it over her shoulder, she looked up at the sky, let out a small yawn, and walked out of the park towards the main street. There was another chill in the air, but it only lasted a few seconds this time and she didn't feel it again on her walk back to the hotel.

 **-00-**

 **So... I didn't kill her.**

 **I just couldn't. Minor spoilers ahead!**

 **After rereading and watching the moments where her sister talks about missing her, and where the man that loved her thinks about her, I just couldn't kill her. Not when those two deserve all the happiness in the world damn it! And don't worry, this actually won't change the plot all that much! After all, what will she think when she wakes up in the hospital and what will she do? Think like a spy on the run!**

 **Also, her living will keep the Organization off of Shizuka for longer. Which I needed. If I'm going to keep this as realistic as possible (it's so hard dang it!) then I need valid reasons for why they don't notice her sooner, being the dead kid's sister and all.**

 **So glad we got past the house. Now only one question (probably more) remains! What's in the folders?**

 **The Mansion of Terror case will be touched on next. Shizuka's not there, obviously, and if it gets too short I'll add in the Shinkansen's Bomb case too.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Relaxed chapter time! I've come to realize that all of my chapters follow the same type of formula. They start off slow with some minor, often humorous interactions between characters, have some kind of revelation midway through (most often connecting seemingly unconnected circumstances mentioned in a previous chapter), rush headlong into adrenaline pumping action, and then have a calming moment between another character or two where Shizuka reflects upon herself and others. Not a bad formula, and not followed %100 of the time, but often enough for me to want to mix it up. Too many tense chapters in one go leads to a too tense story with very little wiggle room for relaxation without seeming odd or just another build up to something awful.**

 **So! Long story short, nothing heart pounding or adrenaline inducing happens in this chapter. Nothing at all. Just easy going, relaxing days in Osaka while Shinichi runs around and tries to stop a bunch of rumors before they can grow. There will be references to tense situations but none actually happening. Cool-down chapter, go!**

 **OTrizy: Sorry about that. I want to promise to be better at updating, but I don't know if I can once summer ends. Thank you for reviewing though! And I hope you like it the third time through!**

 **Shortywallflower: Aren't they just adorable?! They need more time together, absolutely. I'm glad you liked it! The house was my favorite part to write so far, with all the thoughts that go through her head as she explores it. It was fun! Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Shinigami: Ah, the pains of the elder siblings. The poor souls. I have read the manga, I even got back up to date over the last few days to make sure there were no big reveals since the last case I had read. If she did meet Sera (she might have been hanging out with her dad at the hotel as a kid) then Shizuka will probably recognize Shuichi first seeing as how he did most of the talking when they all met. Ohhh, now I'm thinking about their interactions! Thank you! And thanks for taking the time to review!**

 **Eion1783: Yup! Miyano Akemi lives! So says I! They'll definitely meet up and they have a lot in common. Especially with younger siblings that have a penchant for getting into trouble. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **-00-**

 **Chapter 12: Make New Friends, but Keep the Old  
**

 **-00-**

The café was just as cute on the inside as it was on the outside. Wide windows gave the area a more open feel and the tables were etched with various designs and flowers. The sound of slow instrumental music could be heard just above the voices of conversation and flowers placed throughout the area made it smell fresh and relaxing.

The three women had gotten a table in the corner close to one of the windows. Yuuko, in a light blue, low cut dress had her back to the window. Her wide rimmed white sun hat did wonders in blocking the sun's ray from the other two's faces.

Yoko had her back facing the main dining area, one finger tugging lightly at a loose curl as they chatted. She wore a dark pink tank top with a light pink see through shawl slung over her shoulders. Her legs, covered in form fitting black kakis, were crossed at the ankle. Both women wore the same white sandals with a white flower on the side, which Shizuka found odd considering Yuuko's ongoing rivalry, but she would save that little investigation for later.

Shizuka herself was tucked into the corner, facing both the window and the open dining area. As the sun steadily got lower and the air grew cooler she had let her hair down so that it fell across her shoulders. She hadn't had enough time to make herself presentable _and_ hide the documents she had found when she finally made it back to the hotel so she had kept the black shorts on and tossed a soft white button up shirt over her head before rolling up the sleeves to just below her elbow. Her tennis shoes matched well enough so she had left them as is.

"These are good," Shizuka admired, skimming through the photos on Yoko's phone. The two idols had taken pictures of each other during the shoot to show her when they got back.

"They're alright," Yuuko sipped at her lemonade as they finished digesting their meal. "The clothes were good looking but not comfortable at all, and the camera man was such a grump!"

Yoko shook her head with a small smile. "That's because you kept getting distracted Yuuko-chan."

"Well, that's hardly my fault," she defended, reaching for her own phone. "There was another shoot just a few feet away from us, and it was impossible to look away!"

Shizuka handed Yoko her phone back and reached out for Yuuko's when the woman shoved it towards her.

"Just look at them! A woman can not be blamed for admiring beauty!"

Shizuka snorted once she saw the pictures of the male swimsuit models. Yuuko had not been the only one admiring the other side, judging from their show off poses in each of her pictures.

Yoko's face was flushed a delicate pink. "They were rather… distracting," she fiddled with the wrapper of her straw.

Shizuka smirked at her, tapping through the last of the photos.

Yuuko crossed her legs and leaned back haughtily. "I bet you regret not coming with us now."

Her nose scrunched. "I wouldn't quite say that. They're cute, but not really my type."

Yuuko let out an affronted gasp. "Not your 'type'?! Their _abs_ have _abs_ Shizuka!"

"I can see that," Shizuka handed back the phone, "and it is very impressive; they must have worked hard for those. But still, not my type."

While Yuuko was floundering and making odd half squeak half grumbling sounds Yoko took her chance to join the conversation again.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking Shizuka-chan, what is your type then?"

The question was asked with an air of secrecy, Yoko leaning in as though to hear her better when she whispered. Yuuko had cut herself off and leaned in as well.

 _'Ugh,'_ Shizuka frowned and made a grab for her water. She should have known the conversation would eventually turn to this. She had hoped it would be Yuuko to broach the subject so that she could subtly push attention on Yoko instead.

She shouldn't have eaten so quickly; then she might have had some food to stuff in her face to further avoid the question instead of three measly sips of water.

"Well?" Yuuko pushed, lips curling with interest. "What is your type then? You don't like the athletic type, so is it the skinny, nerdy type then?"

Shizuka shook her head in exasperation. "I didn't say I don't like the athletic type, there are different kinds of athletes. I don't put much stock in romance at all. My love is for my work and that is all I need."

Yoko looked interested, but Yuuko looked personally insulted.

"You love your job that much?" Yoko asked, cutting off whatever Yuuko was about to say. The taller woman huffed and crossed her arms.

"Of course," Shizuka replied happily. There were certainly downsides to her job, and managing to sleep wasn't always the easiest thing to do, but she wouldn't change it for the world. Helping people helped her get up in morning. "Don't you two?"

They looked at each other, Yoko smiling widely and Yuuko returning it with a smaller, more unsure one of her own.

"I do!" Yoko chirped. "But it does get lonely sometimes when the days get really long. And I have free time that I wouldn't mind sharing with someone. Do you get lonely Shizuka?"

Odd question, but she'd let it slide. Her focus was more on Yuuko now, who was leaning back in her chair with her eyes laser focused on the napkin she was twisting between her fingers.

"Not really," she answered honestly. "I'm used to being on my own, and I keep myself busy enough that any spare time I have I use to prepare for my next case. What about you, Yuuko-san?"

"Yuuko-chan," she corrected automatically, wiping away her previous expression and replacing it with a grin. "And I know just what you need. Lets go!"

Yoko jumped, startled, when Yuuko leapt up and grabbed her black purse. Tossing it over her shoulder she motioned for them to hurry up.

"Lets go, lets go! This will be great!"

"What will be great?" Yoko wondered frantically, scrambling to catch up.

Shizuka grabbed her own things and trailed behind them as they rushed to pay the check. Mentally bolstering herself for whatever excitement Yuuko had planned next she went over their conversation in her head.

Yuuko had never answered her question.

"Lets go Shizuka!" Yuuko called, waving her hand excitedly. Shizuka sighed as the eyes of everyone in the café turned to stare at her.

Picking up her pace she filed away her questions for another time. She hardly knew Yuuko, or Yoko for that matter. She had no real right to push for more personal subjects.

Yuuko was whispering to the driver animatedly when she finally caught up to them. Yoko moved to stand next the small investigator, looking both nervous and eager at the same time.

"You never quite know what Yuuko-chan is going to do," she explained offhandedly, smiling. "But that's what makes her so fun to be around!"

Shizuko couldn't really argue with that. Yuuko certainly walked to the beat of her own drum, and while she wished the other woman would stop dragging her along in the parade she didn't exactly hate it either.

"You really like Yuuko-san, don't you?" Shizuka noted. Even after Yuuko had spoken so cruelly to her when Akiyoshi had been found dead Yoko still treated her dearly.

Yoko's smile grew warmer. "Yuuko-chan has always been a little, well, blunt with her words. Sometimes cruel even, but never for the sake of being cruel. She helped me a lot when I was first starting out and the other girls made fun of me. She didn't treat me like glass, like Yamagishi-san, but she wasn't trying to make me fail like some of the others." Her expression turned sad. "I wonder what made her think we were rivals, when we started out as friends."

Shizuka fiddled with the strap of her bag, her camera currently connected to her laptop back at the hotel, as she thought about the possible answer.

"I think it has more to do with her than you," Shizuka mumbled thoughtfully, eyes trailing over to the tallest of their group.

"Hm?" Yoko tilted her head, confused.

Before she could question further Yuuko spun around and opened the door for them. "All set! Let's go!"

They ducked into the limo, once again ending up sitting right next to each other regardless of the large space. Shizuka found herself less annoyed and more indulgent than last time. Perhaps because Yuuko was in the middle instead of herself.

"Where are we going Yuuko-chan?" Yoko's eyes sparkled brightly.

"Ohohoh," Yuuko laughed proudly, nose in the air. "Where every one who comes to Osaka must go at least once! A place of relaxation, where the strongest of bonds are formed!"

…That didn't sound good.

"Wow, that sounds amazing!" Yoko cheered, egging Yuuko on further. "Where is that?"

"It's a secret, of course," Yuuko smirked slyly.

"I love secrets," Yoko clapped.

 _'I hate secrets,'_ Shizuka bemoaned.

The ride lasted for about twenty minutes, full of the idol's cheerful chatter, before the limo came to a stop.

"We've arrived," the driver announced as he held the door open for them, his face slightly flushed. He must have rushed to reach the door before Yuuko could kick it open again.

"Ladies," Yuuko held out an arm to stop them. "The moment you step out of this limo, your lives will change."

Yoko let out a soft 'oohhhh' with bright eyes. Shizuka deadpanned.

"Our vacation starts now! Let's go!"

-00-

Shinichi rubbed the bridge of his nose, attempting to stave off the oncoming headache. Ran had taken him to the hospital earlier that day to check on Masumi-san but when they had gotten there the woman was gone. Just… gone. There didn't seem to be any trace of a struggle and the guards posted at the door had told them no one had gone in or come out all day. It didn't help that they were on the fourth floor. The only reason he wasn't panicking more over this was because of the note he had found tucked into the metal bars underneath the bed.

 _Tantei-chan,_

 _Sorry to leave you behind with all of your questions but I couldn't stay. It would only be a matter of time before 'they' found me. I don't know how you got involved with them but I recommend you stay far away from anything having to do with them in the future. We will meet again, and if you are still looking for them when we do and you haven't been killed then I will answer your questions then. Take care Tantei-chan._

 _-MA_

He should have come earlier. The doctors had said she wouldn't be waking up any time soon due to all of the blood she had lost but he still should have taken more precautions. Now he had lost their first living witness to the men in black, Ran was worrying herself sick over Masumi's disappearance, and he had no idea how to find her.

At least Shizuka had apparently found something. Big or small, anything was better than nothing at this point. He still hadn't called to tell her what happened. Things like this couldn't really be trusted over phone and while he doubted anyone would try to listen in on _his_ conversations (at least there were some advantages to being a kid) Shizuka's phone was another matter. It was why she had spoken in code the other day.

He would just have to wait for her to get back. She had told him she would be returning in a couple of days so he would ask Ran if he could spend the night when she got back. Ran seemed to want to encourage his 'bond' with Shizuka, which worked out in their favor.

"Come on Conan-chan," Ran grabbed his hand and led him out of the hospital. She was biting at her bottom lip but smiled down at him when he looked at her. "Your friends are coming over today aren't they? They said the wanted to talk about a haunted house."

He gave her a strained smile. After they had dragged him off to go 'ghost-busting' and it turned into them solving a cold case from five years ago (he didn't even want to imagine being locked up in a basement for so long. It sent a shiver down his spine) they had decided they would investigate the next rumored haunted house to see if something similar happened. Unfortunately that 'haunted house' happened to be _his house_.

 _"They say that the boy that lived there got eaten by the house!" Ayumi said, Genta and Mitsuhiko nodding along behind her. "And lately the ghost of a woman has been roaming the halls looking for her lost son!"_

The idea of Shizuka being his mother was horrifying enough on its own, he didn't want them adding anymore to that story. So he agreed to show them around his home to convince them it was just a normal house.

"Are you okay Ran-neechan?" he gripped her hand tighter.

She blinked rapidly and offered him a small smile. "I'm fine Conan-chan. I'm just… worried about Masami-san. She is still really hurt and we don't know what happened to her."

Shinichi wished he could tell her. But wouldn't the truth just make her worry more?

"It'll be okay," he tried to console her. "Masami-san is tough! The doctors said she probably wouldn't survive but she was getting better really fast."

Ran chuckled and swung their combined hands a bit. "That's true. Thanks Conan-chan."

He beamed at her.

It was tough being a kid again, but at least it made holding her hand easier.

-00-

It should have been obvious, really. Osaka was rather famous for its hot springs and Yuuko had said they would be visiting all of the 'hot spots'.

Shizuka hated hot springs. The water was great, don't get her wrong, and they often left her feeling refreshed. Until she remembered that she was surrounded by people, unarmed (towels didn't hide much), and her scars were there for the world to see.

She had stopped being bothered by the way scars marred her skin when she was eighteen; that wasn't the problem. Neither was people noticing them. It was the fact that if someone was looking at her scars she would be acutely aware of them looking and her own attention would inevitably turn towards the marks as well.

Most of them were fine. Small things that just left a darker mark than others like falling out of a tree or the times she would cut herself on her own knife when she first got it. But the others…

The others she didn't like to think about.

It didn't help that while her face and collar bone had some very nice waterproof cover-up hiding away her bruises, she hadn't bothered covering the rest of her chest (the clear outline of a boot would definitely encourage a few questions) which would be much harder to hide with a towel.

Awesome.

"Come on Shizuka!"

Well, there was always one option…

When she rejoined the other two Yuuko gapped at her and even Yoko was giving her a bewildered look.

"What?" Shizuka asked them, as though she had no idea why they were so surprised. She had securely wrapped two towels around her legs and arms, one over her torso, another hanging over her shoulders to cover them, and another to hold her hair up.

Yuuko seemed at a loss for words so Yoko stepped up. "Um, Shizuka-chan? Why… why are you wearing so many towels?"

Shizuka raised a brow to convey her own surprise. "For my skin."

Yuuko spluttered. "Your _skin?_ "

"Yes," she replied slowly. "The towels keep the heat better insulated and it helps clean out all of your pores. It make your skin healthier and smoother."

The two idols shared an uncertain look.

"…You're lying," Yuuko narrowed her eyes.

Shizuka shrugged. "Believe what you want."

Yoko leaned towards her friend and whispered, "Her skin does look very nice."

The tall woman thought about it. After a moment she shrugged. "It wouldn't be the weirdest thing I've tried. Here Yoko-chan."

Yoko took the towels Yuuko grabbed off the wall for them. Shizuka laughed internally as she helped show them a good way to keep them from falling off.

The water was wonderfully hot. It stung the small cuts along her back at first (she had only noticed those much later. When she hit the pavement the gravel had cut into her skin) but her tensed muscles began to relax until it was only a slight buzz in the back of her mind. All three women let out a long, peaceful sigh before sinking down further into the water.

"This is lovely," Yoko murmured. "I can't remember the last time I was at a hot springs."

Shizuka hummed in agreement. "I'm not a fan of surprises but this is nice."

Even if they were getting more than a few odd looks from the other patrons. At least this way the two idols were far less recognizable.

"Good," Yuuko grinned at them. "We were all too tense before this. A break was much needed."

They sat in relative silence until most of the other patrons had left. There had been eight at first, Shizuka had tallied, and now there was only one that was getting ready to get out. It must be a slow day.

"Shizuka?" Yuuko suddenly piped up, her tone odd. The detective tilted her neck, which had been resting on the border of the springs, until her cheek was resting on the stone so she could see her. "Why did you agree to come with us?"

Shizuka blinked. Yoko peered around her older friend to see her as well, eyes curious and… worried?

"What do you mean?" she wanted a bit of clarification before she answered. "You invited me."

"Well, yes," Yuuko huffed. She broke eye contact to stare up so that she couldn't see either of them. "But you didn't have to say yes. You hardly know us, and when we met we were both suspects of murder. You don't like talking very much, or texting, and you don't seem to want to actually spend any extended amount of time in our presence."

Ah. This conversation. It was the one she had every time someone tried to befriend her (she stopped trying to befriend others after high school). It didn't always end up horribly. There were a few people from her old school that she still considered friends, and even Miwako had asked her and she was one of the closest friends Shizuka had ever had.

"I don't like talking to people most of the time," she agreed easily. Anyone with a relative understanding of human interaction could see that. There were a few times where she felt the need to ramble on about things, usually if it was a topic she considered exciting, but those were rare instances. "Unless I'm on a case and in character." She ignored their curious looks at that. "I am fine with texting but I am very busy and even if I see your text if I am unable to answer right away I will probably forget about it until much later."

Small waves rippled around them when Yoko pushed away from the wall a little more to see her better. She was keeping steady eye contact while Yuuko was still staring holes into the sky.

"And… do you dislike spending time with us?" she questioned softly.

Shizuka forced her face to remain neutral when she wanted to grimace. These talks always made her uncomfortable.

"I don't… dislike you. Either of you. And so far this trip has been fun. It's not that I don't enjoy spending time with others, usually; I just don't like interacting with them a lot. I prefer just-" she paused. After all of these years it was still hard to put into words. Thankfully, she had a dear friend that had helped her with that before. "You both are nice. And funny. You're very amusing to be around, in a good way. I like the time we've spent together so far, I just like having the option to pull away from the conversation and observe. I'm used to it. It's nothing against you two."

"So," Yuuko finally looked at her, face carefully blank, "you're an introvert."

Shizuka thought about it and shrugged. "I guess."

The tall woman sat up suddenly and slapped her hands on the surface of the water, sending droplets over all of them. Yoko shrieked in surprise and Shizuka lifted a hand to block them on reflex.

"Why didn't you just _say so!_ " she bemoaned. "Yoko thought you were just trying to be nice because you felt bad about what happened and even though I disagreed with her at first you didn't do anything to show that _wasn't_ what was happening so we kept trying to figure out what you thought of us when we texted or called you but you kept acting all aloof about it and then you said yes to this trip so we figured that was that but you _still_ wouldn't speak up very much so Yoko was feeling bad which eventually made me feel bad so I told her I would ask you but you kept staring at us like you already knew what I was going to say so I got nervous so instead of making sure you came to the shoot with us I just left you at the hotel and ran away but when I tried taking pictures of the cute guys to make it up to you, you weren't interested at all, which is blasphemy in itself, and it put me back to square one and then you walked out of there like a mummy and I didn't know _what_ to think at that point because maybe you were just a really awkward person but apparently you did it for a reason and now we're _all_ mummy lookalikes!"

Shizuka stared at her with wide eyes. "Uh."

"What Yuuko-chan means," Yoko cut in helpfully while laying a calming hand on the fuming woman's shoulder, "is that we were worried you didn't want to be here and that we had forced you to come anyway."

"Ookay," Shizuka scooted away in case another wave of water was about to be created. "You don't actually have to ever worry about that at least. If I really didn't want to be here I wouldn't be here. If you 'convince' me to do something it's most likely because I don't actually mind the idea."

Yuuko breathed heavily through her nose before sinking bonelessly back into the water. "This was far too complicated. Yoko!" she shouted, making the younger idol chirp a surprised 'yes?'. "Do you want to be my friend?"

If Shizuka was any judge that was probably one of the things Yoko wanted most in the world.

"Yes!" she clasped her hands together with a brilliant grin.

"Shizuka!" Yuuko turned to her now. "Do you want to be my friend?"

"Ha," she huffed out a small laugh. "Sure."

"Yoko! Do you want to be Shizuka's friend?"

"Absolutely," she nodded vigorously.

"Shizuka! Do you want to be Yoko's friend?"

This time she laughed a little longer. "Yeah, that sounds great."

"Then it's settled!" Yuuko declared, pointing up at the sky. "No more dancing around! We are all friends because we want to be! I love to talk, Yoko is an actual bunny in human form, and Shizuka is an introvert! Problem solved."

Yoko burst into a fit of giggles, her face growing even redder due to the steam. Shizuka couldn't help but join in, although her laughter was softer and more subdued. Yuuko nodded proudly, like a great battle had just been won.

As they continued laughing and talking Shizuka felt her chest grow warmer and it wasn't entirely because of the water. She felt a small twinge of guilt for accepting the invitation mainly because of her need to investigate Kazimir and Hershel's house but it was soothed with the knowledge that she wasn't lying about genuinely enjoying the time she was spending with them. It wasn't what she was expecting, but it was certainly a welcome surprise.

"Well," Yuuko crossed her legs beneath the water and leaned back once more, "now that that's over with lets figure out what we'll be doing for the rest of our time here. Any ideas?"

Perhaps surprises weren't all that bad after all.

-00-

"A-are you sure it's not haunted?" Mitsuhiko curled his fingers on the extra fabric of Conan's jacket.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm sure. Shizuka-neechan lives here."

"Really?" Ayumi looked around excitedly as though the woman would appear out of thin air.

Genta scowled, although it was ruined by the fact that he was huddling just as close as Mitsuhiko. "If she lives here then where is she?"

Mitsuhiko went even paler. "Y-you don't think the house ate her… do you?"

Ayumi and Genta gasped in horror.

"The house didn't eat her," Shinichi sighed. "She's in Osaka right now. No one is here-"

"Oh, hello children. How did you get in here?"

They all screamed in shock. Shinichi grabbed Ayumi and pushed her behind him with the others as he whipped around to face the unfamiliar voice.

An older woman looked down at them with a soft smile and warm eyes. Her hair was held up in a bun, mostly white besides a few black streaks here in there. She had on a Purple and white floral print dress with a white shawl over her shoulders and a matching white purse in her hands.

"We should be asking you that," Shinichi accused with every nerve on high alert. What was this woman doing in his house? She didn't seem like a threat but that didn't mean anything. He had seen a ninety-year-old woman that had been confined to a wheel chair almost strangle a man to death with a garden hose once.

"Oh!" she squinted at him a bit. "You must be Conan-chan! Don't worry dear, I didn't break in. I just came by to drop off a gift for Detective-chan."

He frowned at her suspiciously. "If you mean Shizuka-neechan, then she's not here. Who let you in?"

The woman seemed amused at his questions. "Well, she wasn't exaggerating when she told me you were rather paranoid for your age. I asked Hakase-san next door to let me in. Detec- I mean, Shizuka-chan told me to ask him if I ever needed to get in." She knelt down to their height and held her hand out. "My name is Fujie Hana. It is nice to meet you."

The name rang a bell. Wasn't this the woman from the case involving Okino Yoko? Shizuka had said she was keeping in contact with the mother of the victim but he hadn't thought they were close enough to warrant household visits.

"Edogawa Conan," he shook her hand. So far her story seemed believable.

The three hiding behind him took his acceptance as a sign of safety so they stepped forward to introduce themselves.

"I'm Ayumi, it's nice to meet you."

"I'm Genta!"

"And I'm Mitsuhiko!"

Shinichi couldn't help but sigh as they started immediately regaling the woman with the tale of the man that had been locked in the basement by his mother.

"Oh my," she gasped, clasping the silver chain around her neck. "That sounds just awful!"

"Yeah, but we caught 'em," Genta bragged, brushing his thumb alongside the bottom of his nose.

"We're detectives!" Mitsuhiko piped in happily.

Fujie laughed. "Well, that is a wonderful job to aspire to."

Ayumi looked at her curiously. "You said you were bringing a present for Shizuka-chan. What did you bring?"

Fujie stood slowly, using the banister of the stairs to help her up. "Nothing much really. I was baking some bread earlier and made some extra. I thought it would be a nice treat after she returns from her trip." She tapped her chin thoughtfully before reaching into her bag. "In fact, I still have an extra loaf of raisin bread right here. Would you all like some?"

"Yeah!" they cheered.

 _'Don't just go accepting food from strangers!'_ Conan thought despairingly.

"I'm sure Detective-chan wouldn't mind if we used her kitchen for a bit. Come along children," Fujie gestured for them to follow her.

When they walked in Shinichi almost fell over when he saw Professor Agasa sitting at the table eating some toast.

"Ah!" he perked up. "Conan-chan! What are you all doing here?"

Shinichi folded his arms and gave him an unimpressed look.

Agasa laughed nervously, brushing a hand over his moustache to get rid of any wayward jelly. "I-I see you met Fujie-san. She's a friend of Shizuka's!"

He sighed. If Agasa was here then the woman was most likely telling the truth.

"Here you go Ayumi-chan," Fujie handed the girl a small stack of plates. "Thank you dear."

"No problem!"

Mitsuhiko and Genta rushed over to help set the table as well while Fujie grabbed a few jars of jam out of the fridge and a loaf of bread out of her bag. Shinichi noted the basket of wrapped bread on the counter. That looked like a lot more than 'a few' extra.

He hopped over to it when he noticed a note with the basket.

 _Detective-chan,_

 _I brought you a few loaves of bread and some jams that I made as a thank you for everything you have done for Yoko-chan and I. I also couldn't help but notice that you have very little food in your kitchen. Are you eating well? If you are finding it hard to make time to make meals to eat please let me know. I would be happy to make some for you. _

_-Hana_

So his sister had roped in another mother hen by the looks of it.

"What kind of jam would you like Conan-chan?" Fujie called over to him.

Shinichi joined the others at the table, his nose catching the scent of warmed raisin bread. He swallowed as his stomach suddenly growled.

"Grape please!"

-00-

After their time at the hot springs the next few days became a constant stream of never ending movement. Apparently the two idols only had the one day of actual work for this particular shoot, so the rest of the time they spent planning and doing various things. Shizuka could hardly get a minute of time to herself, which meant the files she had so painstakingly retrieved were still sitting innocently in her bag at the bottom of her suitcase.

It was irritating, but there wasn't much she could do about it. Those cold eyes were still lingering in the back of her mind, and perhaps it would be better to review them in the safety of her own house with her brother at her side.

It wasn't like she wasn't having fun, either. They each got to pick two things for all of them to do and while she didn't enjoy the inevitable shopping trip (surprisingly it wasn't Yuuko's choice) she did manage to get some new outfits that would make her feel more comfortable at the police station. Most of her clothes were either too informal compared to the standard police uniform, too formal, or just not very sensible to wear during a job that involved a lot of running around.

Besides the big shopping trip (the poor driver was looking a bit haggard, she would be sure to tip him extra at the end of this) Yoko had also picked to go to the Planetarium. Shizuka found it charming, although the mood was rather somber. When Yuuko had asked her why she picked this place of all things Yoko had told them a story of how Akiyoshi had taken her to the rundown one near his house. He would point out all of the constellations and create outlandish stories for all of them, just to make her laugh.

They had tucked Yoko in the middle, Yuuko throwing an arm over her shoulders and pulling her into a comforting side hug as Shizuka gazed up at the stars above their head. She allowed herself, for one quick moment, to remember a real starry sky where a warm hand held hers and her cheeks hurt from smiling.

Yuuko, shockingly enough, chose to go hiking. She had woken them up well before the sun had risen on the second day, dressed in blue yoga pants and a form fitting white t-shirt with her hands on her hips and a shark toothed grin. They drove for about an hour to get to some area outside of town that was bountiful in both scenic strolls and leg breaking cliff sides.

By the time they reached the top Shizuka was sticky with sweat and out of breath. Her head didn't actually hurt that much, thanks to Yoko requesting consistent water breaks and the fact that it was _finally_ healing. She probably still shouldn't be hiking, but the picture she had gotten of Yoko collapsed on the ground like she was about to have her very soul drained out by Yoko, who had her head thrown back in a mad witch's cackle, made it very much worth it. The area was very beautiful as well, so she had a great time taking pictures as they went.

When the two realized she would be taking pictures left and right they constantly posed ridiculously and pointed out things that they thought were pretty or interesting.

…It was fun.

Yuuko wouldn't tell them what her second choice was. She said it was a secret for the last day.

Shizuka half-expected them to roll their eyes (Yuuko) or at least sigh (Yoko) when she said she wanted to just spend the rest of the day watching TV and relaxing. Instead, they both called down for room service and pulled up a large selection of shows and movies. Changing into their pajamas (they had gotten footie pajamas designed like animals, thanks to Yoko. Shizuka was a panda, Yoko a grey rabbit, and Yuuko a crimson fox), wiping away any and all traces of make up, and paired with various containers of food and treats around them while they binge watched whatever caught their interest was the best day Shizuka could have asked for.

The over-serious detective shows that Yoko would pick turned into comedies with Yuuko's sharp-tongued commentary. Shizuka was finding herself laughing more times than she could be bothered to count, and she didn't even have to hide her doe eyed expression when they watched romances because the other two were too busy burying their faces into their pillows and squealing or sobbing horrendously into their tissues.

The last day, after checking that Yuuko's surprise would be later in the night, Shizuka took them to the local park and people watched with them. Yuuko had the most outlandish stories, ranging from secret agents on the run to aliens sent to gather data on the puny humans around them. Yoko's were more normal, at least at first, but they all inevitably turned into soap opera worthy dramas involving their long lost siblings and twelve love interests. After awhile Shizuka stopped trying to accurately guess the lives of the people they saw and instead worked on convincing the other two that her blatant lies were actually true. It took them a good few minutes to realize that the man eating ice cream with his daughter was not, in fact, a well known politician who was involved in several serious scandals (one of which included a mass murder cover up).

"I knew it!" Yuuko smacked her arm, making Shizuka huff out an amused laugh. "You're just making all of this up!"

"Not all of it," Shizuka corrected, lazing back on the bench. Her grey hood bunched up along her shoulders to helpfully pillow her head against the rough wood. "If I made _all_ of it up it wouldn't sound realistic at all. The lies that are mostly true are the most convincing."

"Well," Yoko laughed, covering her mouth to hide her grin, "which ones were true?"

Shizuka shrugged noncommittally and Yuuko groaned.

"You're not playing anymore. Your stories hurt my brain," the tall woman scowled.

Yoko burst into a fit of giggles and, after a moment, the other idol joined in. Shizuka smiled at them. This wasn't so bad.

"Oh!" Yoko suddenly looked up in surprise. "The sun is setting soon! I didn't realize we had spent so much time here."

"We didn't really do much, did we?" Yuuko noted, tapping her chin.

"Those are the best vacation days to have," Shizuka cracked her knuckles.

"I did have a lot of fun," Yoko agreed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The white, floppy sunhat on her head looked cute but it was a little big on her. She had to keep pushing it back up when she moved her head around too much. "I'm so glad I came. And that you are here too, Shizuka-chan."

"Thank you for inviting me," she replied sincerely. "This has been more fun than I thought it would be."

Yuuko grinned proudly. "It's not over yet ladies! There is one more thing left for us to do!"

Yoko gripped the fabric of her jeans around her knees excitedly. "Your surprise! I've been trying to think of what it might be but I'm stumped. Did you figure it out Shizuka-chan?"

She shook her head. "I didn't bother trying. Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be fine."

"Aw, you trust me," Yuuko preened. Shizuka rolled her eyes. "Well, it's going to be time to go soon. And we need to change!"

"Why?" Shizuka frowned. "We look fine."

"We do," she agreed. "But we need to look _great_! I want you to take a picture, to commemorate this trip, and it is going to be magically perfect! Trust me."

The small detective sent a despairing look to the woman next to her, but all Yoko did was smile back.

"Fine," she conceded, standing up and stretching her arms above her head. "We should get going then."

The ride back to the hotel was filled mostly with Yoko's chatter about her upcoming schedule. A few shows had asked her to guest star on them and Shizuka promised to tape them so she could watch them when she had time. Yuuko was suspiciously quite for the short trip. Her gaze stayed riveted to the window and the only sound from her side was the occasional hum of acknowledgment she would give Yoko if the other girl asked her something. Shizuka glanced at her occasionally but left her to her thoughts. Something had obviously been bothering the tall woman for most of the trip. Perhaps once Shizuka left them alone she would open up to her fellow idol.

Or maybe it would be the other way around and the older woman would try to talk to her instead. She selfishly wished for the first one.

Once they made it back to their room they separated shortly to change.

"Nothing too fancy," Yuuko chirped brightly. Her solemn expression from before was gone, leaving a mischievous grin in its place. "Attention grabbing, of course, but we're not going anywhere high-end or anything. Just pick out something comfy but eye-catching!"

Shizuka sighed for what felt like the hundredth time. Her mother would love Yuuko. She made a mental note to actively work to keep them apart. Which would be easy, seeing as how her parents rarely ever showed up in her life as it was.

In the end she chose the outfit Yoko had pointed out just before they had finished shopping the other day. A light green, spaghetti strap dress that came down to her mid thigh with a see through veil over the top layer of fabric that went a few inches below her knees. The veil would get in the way if she needed to run so she wrapped a simple brown belt around her waist and pulled a bit of it up and over the top so it layered around the belt and the wider part of the bottom was now a few inches above her knees. Slipping on her black running shorts she snagged the pair of white sandals out of another bag. There was a little extra support on the bottom and the white straps on each side crisscrossed over one another as she wrapped them up a little ways above her ankle.

It was the warmer part of the year so she wouldn't need a jacket but she grabbed a mint green scarf and tucked it lightly around her neck. If she really need to she could unfold it and use it as a shawl.

Both Yuuko and Yoko were in the bathroom nearest to the main door. Shizuka took a deep breath, preparing for the worst.

"How pretty!" Yoko spotted her first and clapped her hands happily with her black eyeliner tucked between the fingers of her left hand. The white tank top she had on wasn't one Shizuka had seen before but she hadn't actually been present for each of their purchases. The top and bottom was lined with light brown, a small branch reaching up from the bottom left corner with pink camellia resting on it. Her light brown shorts had a medium sized bow on the front and her brown flip-flops had similar pink ribbons on the top. "I knew that dress would look great on you!"

"…You look nice too," Shizuka offered. It wasn't a lie but she definitely could have phrased it better. But she didn't want to act like someone else around these two. Not if she didn't have to. It had been a long time since she had the chance to make actual friends that didn't seem to judge her for her flaws.

"Hurry, hurry!" Yuuko reached out with one hand to drag Shizuka over to the mirror while the other finished expertly applying her mascara. Her dress was the first thing she had bought on their trip. It was light brown over all but had light red, dark blue, and darker brown squares running along the middle, corners, and on the sleeves of the dress. The sleeves only came up to her elbow, leaving her upper arm and shoulders bare, before thin straps hung loosely against her collarbone. The dark brown sandals on her feet had a sizeable heel and while they had lace up strings like Shizuka's they came up to just below her knee instead of a little past her ankle.

Shizuka looked over the assortment of products as Yoko turned back to the mirror. "I'll put my hair down, but that's it."

Yoko laughed at Yuuko's withering expression.

"That's your choice," she replied moodily. Shizuka was a little surprised she wasn't going to push the issue but didn't question it. A white ribbon at the back of her head held up Yoko's hair; although the usual wisps of hair escaped it's hold and hovered over her forehead. Yuuko had a braid tossed over one shoulder, a single strand of curled hair coming down next to her cheekbone and chin. Shizuka brushed through her hair mechanically. She hadn't cut it in awhile so it was straighter than usual but there was still a slight wave to it (unlike the curls it would hold if her hair was shorter). Her bangs curved around her face and she shifted them around so that they wouldn't get in the way.

The two idols finished up almost simultaneously.

"Perfect," Yuuko looked them over in the mirror. "Let's go then! Oh, and don't forget your camera Shizuka!"

Shizuka shook her head at the enthusiastic woman. Walking back out to the main room she grabbed her camera, changing out the lenses for closer photo ops, and slung her bag over her shoulder. Toeing open one of her suitcases by the door (not the one with the case files; that was tucked securely in one of the rooms and under the bed) she grabbed a tripod and tucked it under her right arm.

"Good to go," she informed them with a half-sarcastic thumbs up. Yuuko ignored it and Yoko just continued to bounce along in anticipation.

The driver opened the door for them when they went down and Yoko took the middle spot again. The drive was quiet. Yuuko was staring out the window again and Yoko was lost in wondering what the surprise was. Shizuka took the moment of peace to close her eyes and take stock of her injuries. The concussion was getting steadily better and was more of a dull annoyance now. She had been worried that her rushed escape from Kazimir's house had made it worse but everything seemed fine. Her chest ached if she sat wrong and her back would flare up if she rested it on a rough surface, but otherwise she was fine. Well enough to go back to work at the very least.

"We're here," Yuuko announced, beating the driver to the door. The man slumped slightly but waited to close it once they all were out.

It was a high point that looked over a good amount of the city. They stood in a rather large clearing and Shizuka noted the other people milling about. Most were sitting down on blankets over the grass, some standing over by the edges of the parking lot, and a handful were walking around between everyone else.

"We need a spot in the front," Yuuko started making a beeline through the small crowd. Yoko was nearly bouncing with excitement as she followed and Shizuka shook her head but started walking too. Yuuko stopped suddenly and looked around. They were in front of most of the groups of people, almost uncomfortably close to the edge of the overlook, but that didn't seem to bother her. "This is perfect!"

It was rather scenic. The lights of the city mixed beautifully with the stars that could be seen above them. Hopping back a few steps Shizuka started setting up her tripod.

"Would you mind taking a few pictures throughout the night?" Yuuko asked, running a hand over her braid to make sure there were no loose hairs. "At least one now and a few after it starts."

Shizuka debated on asking what exactly was going to 'start' but she was already starting to get an idea. "Sure thing," she said instead. "Find a spot and I'll set the timer."

The two women shifted a bit, Shizuka motioning for them to shuffle left so she could get more of the city's glow in the shot. Once they were ready she set the timer to fifteen seconds and joined them. Yuuko was in the middle, but standing a bit behind them so that she could throw her arms over each of their shoulders and bend down. Yoko giggled and wrapped her right arm around the tall woman's waist and Shizuka shook her head but did the same. They all smiled as the flash went off and when Shizuka went to check it they followed behind.

"That looks great!" Yoko said happily.

"Perfect," Yuuko agreed. "It should be starting any second no-"

A burst of color appeared in the sky followed by a loud popping noise. All three heads turned to look up as a red circle with a golden center appeared.

"Fireworks!" Yoko squealed, clapping her hands happily. Yuuko threw her hands in the air and cheered.

As the show progressed they switched between watching, taking pictures of each other (Shizuka was only willing to let them use her small camera. The good one stayed with her thank you very much), and using the tripod to take group photos.

It was the most fun she had had in a long time.

"Octopus," Yuuko stated matter-of-factly.

Yoko's nose scrunched up. "That looked more like a flower to me."

"It was a circle with lines shooting out of it. It was a sun," Shizuka disagreed.

The last firework had gone off a few moments before and as everyone was clearing out the three stayed sitting as they argued what it had been supposed to be.

Yuuko scoffed but it was weak. The same expression she had in the car was back and the mood dipped a bit at its reappearance.

Before Yoko could work up the courage to ask what was wrong Yuuko spoke up.

"Do you guys… remember talking about how much you loved your jobs?" she asked haltingly.

Shizuka and Yoko shared a look before nodding.

"Well," she sighed and ran a hand over her hair, "I don't. Love my job that is. Not anymore." Before they could speak up she held up a hand to stop them. "Just… let me try to get all of this out. It's not your fault Yoko, but you were the reason I started looking at my job differently. I liked being the center of attention and I was naturally good at what I did. I didn't have to work too hard to get good results and it was easy. Then you came along and I had to work really, really hard to stay where I was and the more I saw you doing that work with genuine happiness the more bitter I got when I realized I wasn't happy doing it. You're not better than me just because you have more skill; you're better because you genuinely love what you do. And Shizuka, you have that same look for your work too."

She trailed off, eyes closed tight.

"I _want_ that. I want to feel joy in doing something I truly want to do. I want to work hard and feel accomplished and proud when I succeed. I want to fail, and still feel motivated to keep going because it is _worth it_. So I'm going to quite being an idol. No more modeling, or singing, or anything. I liked all of those parts of my job, but not enough to want to keep doing them."

"Yuuko-chan," Yoko murmured, eyes sad. "I never meant to make you hate your job."

Yuuko rolled her eyes and lightly shoved the smaller girl's shoulder. "I just said it's not your fault. I would have realized this eventually, you just made me think about it sooner than I would have before."

Shizuka twisted the straps of her camera between her fingers carefully, absentmindedly flicking through the pictures they had taken. "Do you know what you want to do instead?"

Yuuko flopped back onto the grass. "…I think I'd like to try acting. Or maybe even directing. I love clothes. Maybe a designer? Out of everything that always interested me the most. And if that doesn't work out I'll figure something out."

Yoko fell over to hug her. "You'll do great no matter what it is Yuuko-chan. I just know it!"

Yuuko smiled and patted her head. "Thanks."

Shizuka didn't join the hug but she did lay back with them. Her back twinged a bit but not enough to make it overly uncomfortable. "Do what you want to. When you die you should do so with as few regrets as possible."

"Gee thanks," Yuuko deadpanned.

Shizuka shrugged but there was a smirk on her lips. "You wanted to be my friend. Expect some morbid death remarks to show up."

"I think this might turn into one of those regrets you mentioned."

"It's a bit too late for that."

Yuuko laughed freely. "I think I can live with that. You two can be my best regrets."

Shizuka smiled, shuffling closer so their shoulders touched. They lay there for at least another hour. Just talking and trying to make shapes out of the stars. When they finally went back to the hotel they piled into their pillow fort and the two older women fell asleep almost right away again. Shizuka almost admired their ability to sleep so quickly.

It took her far longer to sleep but when she did it was a peaceful one. She ended up in the park outside her house watching her brother and Ran bickering with one another a little ways away while Agasa looked at them all fondly. Her parents were at the edges of the park and while she couldn't see them very well she could tell they were holding hands. Yoko and Yuuko were on the swings laughing about something as they competed to see who could go higher. Yoko was winning so far but Yuuko was catching up. Miwako, Avelia, and Megure were at one of the picnic tables talking over some case which would have called her attention the most if something wasn't holding her hand to stop her from going.

"I like your friends," a lighthearted voice commented from next to her.

She hummed in the back of her throat and leaned over so she could rest her head on their shoulder. "Me too."

Shizuka woke up the next morning, not quite remembering the dream.

Her hand was warm.

 **That's a wrap!**

 **For those who recognize the title of this chapter yes, it is from girl scouts. I think. It could be from something else originally but it was the song my old troop would sing at the end of every day so that's what I connect it to. The circle is round guys! It has no end!**

 **The next chapter will be back to the usual. The Shikansen's Bombing Case (from the manga cause it's better) and tying in to the Luxury Liner Serial Murder case. Probably not the entirety of both in once chapter unless you guys want and extremely long never ending page of words, but we'll see.**

 **Shizuka has friends! Yay! And Mama Fujie met Shinichi and Co. (plus Agasa) so that was a thing. Plus Akemi is a slippery eel. Not to be caught! Let me know what you guys thought!**

 **By the by, I'm trying to get better at writing more romance centered things. I don't think I'm bad them, exactly, but there is definite room for improvement. Plus, I love you guys! So to combine those two things I'm writing oneshots for whoever wants one. The prompt and pairing details are on my profile so if you ask you shall receive. And the pairings can be from just about anything. This story, another anime, a show, a book, etc. Check it out, yeah?**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Long chapter Ahoy!**

 **Seriously, this is the longest chapter so far, beating all the others by at least one thousand words. And plot stuff! Finally, I can start going into that stuff. Yay!**

 **Moonflower28: Not loving Kaito could be worse, I think. Some of my top favorite cases involve him! Whether those two are paired or not that scenario will definitely happen, haha! Kaito is a bit of a flirt at heists and Shinichi knows his sister kind of just… rolls with things when they happen. Bad decisions are a family trait! As is over protectiveness. Thanks for the review!**

 **Eion1783: Thank you for reviewing! And yup, it was a guy. You're the first person to mention him! It's a huge part of why she is the way she is and I'm excited to get to it! Thank you so much for taking the time to review again! It means a lot.**

 **OTrizy: Thanks. I adore writing but I also adore my job and I often have to choose between the two. I wish I could do both regularly but that would be stretching myself a bit too thin a lot of the times. Thanks for being so understanding about it and still reviewing even with the hassle. You're the best!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **-00-**

 **Chapter 13: Priorities? What are those?**

 **-00-**

They returned to Beika late at night. Hana had been waiting for them to drop Yoko off, although they were all too tired to say their goodbyes for long. A quick set of hugs and they were back in the limo heading towards the Kudo mansion.

"We'll do this again," Yuuko said, as though it were already a fact.

"At some point," Shizuka hesitantly agreed. She wouldn't quite mind but… "I might not have time for awhile."

Yuuko waved her hands as though to bat the statement out of the air. "It doesn't have to be a big thing like this. Lunch sometime would be fine. Or a small shopping trip."

A 'small' shopping trip in her mind would last hours as it was. She would stick to lunch.

"Sounds good."

By the time they reached Shizuka's home they were both starting to doze off in their seats.

"Pardon me," the driver said softly as he opened the door, "but we have arrived."

When Yuuko moved to get out with her Shizuka pushed her back. "Don't bother, you look like you'll fall over."

She was about to argue but after thinking it over the tall woman just shrugged and flung an arm around her for a hug. Shizuka returned it willingly and waved as she stepped out. Once she was standing fully, she blinked at the sight of all of her luggage already set rather close to the door. Pulling out her wallet she flicked through it and grabbed the money she had withdrawn earlier. Counting it out as quickly as she could with her sleep-addled mind she nodded and handed it to the driver.

"Oh," he brightened. "This is… a rather hefty tip ma'am. Are you sure you meant to give me this much?"

Shizuka smiled at him. "I'm sure. You had a lot to deal with and we appreciate it."

The man grinned brightly and tipped his hat towards her. "Well, I wouldn't say it was all bad. You lovely ladies have quite interesting adventures."

She snorted. "True. Have a good night."

"You as well."

After the limo pulled away (with Yuuko limply hanging out the window to wave goodbye) she turned back to her house and almost groaned when she saw her brother opening the door.

"Welcome home," he greeted with a yawn as she lugged her things inside. She shot him the stink eye when he didn't move to help with all of the bags and suitcases. The entrance had finally started to look like an actual hallway again, and yet now it was once more filled with clutter.

"I'm home," she replied, tossing everything to the ground and kicking it around until there was a small path she could walk through. Shinichi followed after her when she started heading towards the library. As she went she grabbed the small gray suitcase she had left at the door and wheeled it behind her.

The moment they walked through the wooden doors Shinichi ran forward and shoved all of his weight into one of the large brown leather chairs until it was directly next to the other one. A few years back both of the Kudo siblings had gone out to buy more furniture for the room. That was when Shizuka was home more often and they had decided that more than one desk and a deceivingly nice looking but uncomfortable chair was necessary in their favorite part of the house. The desk was still there, but the chair had been replaced with a much nicer one that could recline enough for a quick nap if needed.

"One sec," Shizuka held up her pointer finger as she twirled the suitcase in front of the chairs. Leaving her brother to his rearranging she went to the kitchen and smiled happily at the half full pot of coffee. There was also a basket of bread next to it, which was weird. Snagging the note that was on top she felt her lips curl into a warm smile. So Hana had at least gotten out of the house more than once. That was good.

Pulling out her 'Peace, Love, Naptime' mug and the custom 'Grumpichi' one she had gotten her brother for Christmas one year she poured the rest of the coffee into hers and milk into Shinichi's before placing them both in the microwave for a few seconds. As they warmed she pulled out the hot cocoa powder she kept around for the times she was too tired to make the really good stuff. The timer beeped and she pulled both mugs out before finishing up her brother's drink. She preferred her coffee black most of the time (that hadn't always been the case but after years of not having the time for anything else but a quick cup to go her taste buds grew to enjoy it) so that was left as it was.

Shinichi had just finished moving the chairs together when she walked back in. He perked up at the sight of the mugs but scowled when he realized what was in his cup.

"This better be because you wanted to hog all of the coffee and not because of my size," he grumbled at her.

She shrugged, not bothering to answer on way or the other.

"Whatever," he huffed. "There are some things I need to tell you."

"Me too," she flopped down on the chair on the left. She held his mug for him when he climbed onto his before handing it back. "Mine might take awhile," she gestured towards the suitcase, "so you go first."

"Alright. While you were gone Masami-san got through her surgery successfully but the doctors said she might not survive the night because of her blood loss. She managed to pull through but two days later when Ran and I went to see her she was gone," he informed her.

Sharp blue eyes narrowed over the rim of her cup. "…You don't seem very concerned about that. She wasn't forced?"

He shook his head. Reaching into the left pocket of his shorts he pulled out a small note and handed it to her. Shizuka flipped it open and scanned it over, taking a sip of coffee as she did so.

"After finding that I tried tracking her down but there was nothing left that would lead to her. She's good."

She nodded, folding the paper back and holding it out for him to take back. "I think she might be involved with a case I had awhile ago. There was a man poisoned at the restaurant Inspector Megure and I went to and the woman that did it was impossible to track down even though she was caught on several cameras. She was dressed similarly to how Masami was when we ran into her at the hotel."

Shinichi cupped the lower half of his face thoughtfully. "She is willing to kill if she has to, but I think she tries to avoid it. The night she was shot she told me she hadn't known the drink her partner had was poisoned. And the man in the café, you told me you guys managed to save him. There are a lot of poisons that could kill him too fast to be saved."

"Maybe," Shizuka agreed with that much at least, "but that doesn't change the fact that one man is dead and another was put in critical condition. Her hand may have been forced but we can't assume she is innocent. She was calm and professional about everything, each time. That speaks of experience."

"We'll need to talk to her to figure it out," he sighed. "We won't have time to actively look for her and the men in black so we'll just have to see if she stays true to what she wrote and comes to find us."

"Finds you," she corrected. "She has no idea that I am connected to this too. If she is going to contact anyone it will be you. Either when you are alone or with a sign. We need a way to communicate with each other without anyone else being suspicious if that happens so you can still have backup."

He knew she would say that. Despite the hypocritical point in her words he would agree for now. He was starting to realize the men in black were more dangerous than they had first thought. Having someone he could rely on would be a necessity at some point.

"Fine," he conceded, "but you need to use it too, in case something happens on your side."

Shizuka stared at him but he didn't blink. She supposed it was only fair, even if she didn't like it.

"Fine. What will we use? Sign language is out of the question, as is any other foreign language they might understand."

He thought about it. "Our old code should be okay. It's subtle and no one besides Mom and Dad really knows it."

"That could work," she tilted her head. "We'll have to add more to it as we go for different scenarios but it will work for now."

They nodded.

"Okay then," Shinichi wrapped both hands around his mug, enjoying the feeling of warmth that seeped through his fingers. "If anything involving the men in black happens you'll say it's hot or cold out and put your hands on your neck. If I notice it I will ask for coconut ice cream."

They both grimaced at the thought of the dessert. Shinichi had always hated the taste and Shizuka was allergic to it, which made it a scarce sight in their lives.

"We can still warn each other even if we are not together, now that we have phones too. But we might not have time to send anything substantial," Shizuka thought about it.

"A blank text," Shinichi offered. "We can set our phones up so that we can send each other blank text messages."

"That will work. If we are both together then the person who has the greatest advantage at investigating should go. We'll need an excuse to split off if we are with others," Shizuka tapped her chin. "I've found that needing to use the restroom works remarkably well and it is hardly questioned."

He gave her an odd look but accepted the idea. "Now that we have that figured out, what did you find in Osaka?"

Sitting up she handed him her mug and pulled her suitcase over. "I haven't had the opportunity to go over them but there were files locked in a highly secure room of the house. There was even a puzzle to get into the room but I'll tell you about that later," she smirked at the gleam in his eyes. "While I was there two men in black, who I can only assume were the same ones we keep running into, came by. I managed to get out with the files and I deleted the footage of me being there but they definitely know someone was there because of that."

Shinichi gave her a worried look.

"It was fine," she placated. "I blended in at the park nearby and they left shortly after. I'm just afraid that by being there they'll be more alert. No one else knew about that house or their connection with Kazimir. If they think I was there because of them…"

She looked at him when she felt his small hand on her shoulder. His eyes were steely and determined. Whatever came their way they would deal with it.

"Right," she sighed. Pulling out her duffle bag she carefully removed the three files. They were not very big, perhaps only a few pages long each. Setting the bottom two on the ground in front of them she flipped the first one open and leaned over so that her brother could see it too. There were eight pages, all headed with a graph depicting the profit margin of sales for an unknown product. At the bottom of each assessment there was an assortment of bullet points.

TT Tech

Leak in computers: hired tech support (SS now permanent part of company)

No progress: will shut down section for now

Leak found: business resumed

Four Leaf

Interested in business proposition

Meeting postponed due to unforeseen circumstances on the customers side

Problem resolved: new meeting set

Successful meeting: Future partnership guaranteed

TigerDragon

Agreed to shipping arrangement

Increased stock

Small disagreement with company president

Resolved

Company closed down and is no longer available for business

SS

New hire: high potential

Promoted to head of finances

Resolved several branch problems and dealt with outside pressure professionally

Transferred to Russian branch

Profit increasing: future increase expected

Transferred to French branch

Similar success rates: less profit due to border difficulties

Transferred to American branch

Sharp incline: branch expanded

Second branch created successfully

Transferred to African branch

C-zone

All parties interested in product

Mutual agreement made

Online payments secured

Delivery address confirmed and secure

Rival faction causing problems: potential contract increase

Rival faction agreement: Shifted to main buyer

Several group losses: small hit in finances

SS recommends to temporarily stop sales: will take into consideration

Halted sales for five months.

Outside companies approached C-Zone buyers: SS sent to intervene

Problem resolved

C-zone desperate: rise in payments

New shipment for show of trust: half for free

Increased profit

Resumed sales: SS given raise

Fish

Ambitious: Potential business partner

Combined business strategy

Exemplary success

Increased shipping: triple oversea sales

Too ambitious

Attempted to gain power over company

Workforce accident

Tip off friends in blue

Loss in sales: acceptable loss

No longer allowed to do business

Snowflake

Translator required: SS temporary return

Joint business proposition

Mutual agreement: SS in charge of security in case new arrangement is broken

Successful first sale

Successful second sale

Failed third sale

SS translates new proposition

New branch opened in Scotland: SS given branch as show of good faith

Liquor

Strong interest in product: Agreed to meeting

Enemy company

Rat on the inside: yet to be found

Asking for high priced silence: Refused

Increased price: Refused

Threatened Hershel: SS being transferred back to main branch

Payoff date set

Debt settled: new information found

Leverage for safe guarantee: all files transferred to SS

New living arrangement with Hershel: meeting date set

The Kudo siblings shared a look. Splitting the papers in half they began memorizing the words and numbers, muttering to each other as they worked.

"TT Tech must be part of the main business," Shinichi cupped his chin in his hand. "It goes back the farthest and by the looks of it, it was the first problem to pop up at the beginning of the business. These must be about the weapon smuggling."

Shizuka nodded, squinting at the third page. "Tiger Dragon," she muttered, cupping the lower half of her face. "Tora… Ryu… Ryu… Tora…" Her eyes widened. "This might be the Ryu-Tora Yakuza."

Shinichi scanned the page. She pointed at the sudden drop in the graph.

"Look at the year. That was the same year their group was disbanded. I found a lot of dirt on their leaders and after they were taken in the lower members scattered like flies."

"Which is why they were no longer available to buy the weapons," Shinichi realized. "Some of the other names might be for gangs as well."

"There is a group called Luck," she recalled. "They've been mostly inactive for the last few years, as far as the police can tell. But if they've been buying weapons for this long and they're not using them…"

They scowled and set the paper to the side for later thought.

"What about SS?" Shinichi frowned. "They obviously have a big hand in the business."

"Unless he is a double agent then he isn't with the men in black," she deduced. "They are most likely 'Liquor'." She looked at the page in question. It was the only one without a graph.

"But all of the files were transferred to them," he brightened. "And they were called back to Beika before Kazimir was killed. If we can find them we can get everything they have on the men in black."

"True," she agreed, putting the 'Liquor' page with the 'Four Leaf' one. The only new information to be gleaned from that was that Kazimir only agreed to the payoff after Hershel had been threatened. "But from the sounds of it SS is not one to be messed with either. The information leaks and 'rat' they talked about… he probably killed them. And he either strong armed or killed someone high up to force this 'Snowflake' into turning their company over to Kazimir."

"Plus he knows how to manipulate consumer demand for their weapons," Shinichi pinched the bridge of his nose when he felt his headache returning. "I'm assuming that 'C-Zone' stands for a collection of gangs somewhere. Cutting out competition and making them desperate was the best way to control them."

Shizuka groaned. "C-Zone might stand for 'Cop free Zone'. There's an area downtown that's really run down and it got its name because the police forces can only patrol it minimally without stretching their officers too thin. Avelia gets a few patrols out there whenever he can afford to but it is too far away and everyone there keeps their mouth shut if you don't have anything to pay them with."

Shinichi's eyebrows rose up. "And how exactly do you know that?"

She rolled her eyes. "That's where I went to learn about Ryu-Tora. I was there a lot back then."

Shinichi's expression turned resentful. "So you can go chasing after criminal organizations without letting anyone know. Because you're older."

Shizuka had to bite her tongue to stop the automatic response as her temper flared. She hadn't been alone back then. And she was a grown ass woman; she could do what she wanted.

…Which was pretty hypocritical. But she had her reasons and she would stick to them.

"No. I get to go chasing after criminal organizations without letting _you_ know because you would have jumped in to help and you were thirteen. Mom and Dad knew."

That clearly wasn't the right thing to say. Shinichi's shoulders tensed and his glare turned icy. She shouldn't have mentioned their parents.

"Wait," she held her hands out before he could start yelling. "I didn't actually tell them. Dad figured it out when I snuck out one time and he told Mom. I was going to tell you after I caught them but I didn't want you trying to go to that place by yourself after school or something. You know now how bad those kinds of places are. I had to carry my gun everywhere. _Openly_. Even you wouldn't have been safe Nichi."

"Don't call me that," he grumbled but the tension was dying down a bit. "…I wouldn't have gone by myself."

Now it was her turn to look unimpressed. He flushed a bit and snagged the next paper out of her hands.

"A-anyway, we still haven't talked about 'Fish'. That didn't seem to end well."

Shizuka huffed at the abrupt topic change but let it go. "Something about Fish sounds familiar."

He looked up with a curious look.

"Right here," she tapped one of the points. "It said there was a workforce accident and the police were tipped off. I can't be sure yet but that sounds similar to what happened to Mitsuriko Mako."

"The guy that punched you?"

He would never let that go.

"Yes," she snipped at him, shoving him a bit, "the guy that punched me. We'll have to look into it more but it makes sense. He is, or was, the greatest name in shipping and his political connection gave him a lot of power. He'd make a good business partner but he likes to be in control of _everything_ so it would only be a matter of time before he tried to take command. He doesn't have a lot of patience with mistakes so if one small thing went wrong he would leap at the chance."

Shinichi mused over the information. "If that turns out to be true then that takes care of both 'Fish' and 'TigerDragon'."

Neither of them was very heartened by the fact. Out of all of the names on the list, those two seemed like the least problematic ones to deal with.

"At least three of them are technically combined now," Shizuka offered weakly. Her brother simply sighed and reached for the next folder. The night had started with only one large criminal organization to look out for. Now they had about four more to add to that.

Awesome.

The second file was much smaller. There were only two pages this time. Banking information for two different international banks.

"This must be where all of their extra money went," she grinned. "I've been looking for this."

"It doesn't actually say anything about amounts or transactions," his eyebrows knit together.

"No," she refused to let that lower her spirits. This was a good piece of information. "But it gives me a place to start. Finally."

She would put that particular file into her personal case folder later (after making several copies and hiding them in various places of course. Paranoia could be a great detective's best weapon). The last file only had one piece of notebook paper with various lines scribbled in haphazardly before they were crossed out.

"It was torn out," Shinichi ran his finger over the frayed edge. "There may have been more than one piece before."

"These are almost impossible to read now," she groused. The ink had been scribbled over each letter meticulously and it bled out to cover every word.

He turned it around. "There's some on the back that weren't crossed out."

She ran a finger over them thoughtfully. There was still enough ink covering the other side to make them hard to read but if it was tilted just right they could make out a handful of dates, times, and a string of numbers attached to each.

When Shizuka looked at her younger brother she found the same shark like smile staring back at her.

"Dates and times," he lit up.

"For meetings," she matched his energy.

"And none of these dates have passed yet," her brother was nearly vibrating. "With a big organization like this there would have to be more than just Kazimir there."  
"Anyone left over would want to know what was going to happen with the company next," she continued elatedly. "These are still going to happen. We just need to figure out where."

"Yes!" they cheered, high fiving.

"Okay," Shizuka gathered up all of the files. "I'll keep the banking information. You work on the places."

"Deal."

They separated into different sections of the library. Shizuka went to grab her laptop and took over the desk. Armed with her notebook and pen as well she got to work researching the banks. Shinichi climbed up to the second level of books and pulled out a few references for codes, coordinates, and maps. He probably had most of those memorized but it was good to double check just in case.

Hours passed. Even though it felt like minutes to the siblings, with all of their excitement, it wasn't long before the sun was starting to peek over the horizon. Slowly but surely it rose until it was able to reflect through the library windows. A beam of light caught Shinichi in the eye and he flinched, holding his hand up to block it.

A second later there was a knock on the door.

"That would be Ran," he sighed, stretching his arms above his head to crack his back.

"Hm?" Shizuka called distractedly, scribbling furiously in her notebook. There were about three pages left in it so she would have to grab another as soon as she was done. "That's right, you have school today."

"I'll pretend to be sick," he decided.

"She'll never fall for it," she replied absentmindedly. "Besides it's," she glanced at the clock and blinked, "seven? Really?"

"Don't you have work soon?" he smirked when she shot him the evil eye. "If you call in sick Avelia will probably come here to check on you."

Damn it. He had a point. At the moment Avelia thought she was living alone while her parents and brother were off abroad somewhere. With his understanding that she had little to no friends he would want to make sure she wasn't locked in her room and dying (which had, yet again, only happened once! Unlike her crazed family she tended to learn from her mistakes thank you!).

"…We'll take a break then," she groused, pushing the chair back so she could stand.

"Hey Shizuka!" her brother suddenly called.

"Wha- holy shit!"

She barely opened her arms in time to catch him as he threw himself off the second landing and straight at her. Stumbling back she managed to twist with the momentum and threw her left foot back to balance out the weight before she could fall and land (painfully) on her back.

"What is _wrong_ with you?!" she smacked him upside the head when he cackled.

"It's like when we were kids!" he explained, as though that was the end of it.

"We were dumbass kids!" she threw him onto the chair. He only laughed harder as he bounced on it. "I'm surprised we managed to survive to this point!"

"I wasn't the one who came up with the idea to jump," he sassed, straightening his clothes with a grin.

"I said 'we' didn't I," she snarked back. She couldn't quite fight back the smile that was threatening to spill over her lips. "Whatever," the words wobbled with a confined laugh. "Just go to school you brat."

He stuck his tongue out at her, which she readily returned, before scampering off to meet Ran at the door. Shizuka couldn't quite stop the soft chuckle that escaped as she watched. When they were younger their mother had gotten them two large bean bags and Shinichi loved jumping on them. So, of course, she eventually came up with the idea to roll them into the library and have both of them jump off the second landing onto them. To be fair, they were pretty big bean bags. And the look on their Father's face when he walked in mid-jump had been priceless.

Shaking her head to dispel the fond memories she went to change.

"Thanks for agreeing to watch him tonight Shizuka," Ran smiled happily when she turned down the hall. She had on an orange hoodie and jeans with white sandals. "I know you had to cut your trip short but it was nice of you to let me go out with Sonoko."

"It was no problem," Shizuka replied readily, throwing mental daggers at her idiot brother. That voice changer of his was no doubt very useful in his little tricks. "I was happy to spend some time with him and the trip was fun even if it didn't last as long as I thought it would."

"That's great! We really do need to go though, otherwise Conan-chan will be late to school," she grabbed the young boy's hand (aw, what a cute little blush) and gave her a quick hug.

"Have fun," she called lazily, waving them goodbye before digging through one of the various bags at her feet. Gray slacks, a white button up shirt, and the awesome fancy looking gray tennis shoes she had scored on the trip would be just fine for the day.

Pulling an all-nighter after an exhausting trip probably wasn't the best idea, but the energy from their discoveries would keep her energized for days. Things were looking up.

-00-

Things were plummeting, and plummeting fast.

Apparently going nearly an entire week with out any crimes happening around her meant that the world had to throw triple the amount of the usual bullshit every day for _two_ weeks to make up for it. Two weeks! People were dropping like flies, banks were drawing robbers like moths to a flame, pickpockets were celebrating some kind of thieving holiday by the looks of it, and someone had thought it would be a great idea to sprinkle some _coconut flavored_ creamer into the _entire god damned coffee pot_ at the precinct which resulted in a minor trip to the ER where (surprise, surprise) a well known surgeon was almost murdered (he was so lucky she got her knife back) because of his pompous attitude and derogatory approaches to women. One arrest and lawsuit later she was hiding from both Avelia and Megure's worried looks while staring suspiciously at anyone who approached the community coffee pot (which set a few people on edge, sure, but _they_ weren't the ones who had been technically poisoned).

It didn't help that the banks she was looking into had an extremely strict customer confidentiality set up. It was ridiculous. No one even made the accounts out to their own names. And the only way she could force them to give her the information she wanted was if she had enough reasonable facts to convince Avelia to give her the jurisdiction. Which she could do if she showed him the files, but then he would want to know how and where she got them and that would open a whole can of worms she was definitely not ready to unleash. So she was stuck.

Shinichi wasn't having any luck either, by the sounds of it. The code used was a self-made one apparently and with how few meetings had been left on that paper he didn't have enough reference to crack it yet. The few times they were able to meet up were mostly filled with ranting on both sides about how impossible this all was to figure out and how frustratingly difficult it was to get a clue before some new piece of information came along to rip it right out of their hands.

Neither of them had been sleeping well because of it. Her brother was pale and the circles under his eyes were getting progressively bigger. His glasses hid them pretty well, but when he took those off they were as clear as day. She had no doubt she looked the same.

Currently she was standing in front of the coffee pot tucked into the far corner of the precinct debating on if she wanted to take the risk of drinking from it again. Closing her eyes she gave it some serious thought. On the one hand, whoever had put in the coconut flavoring might be dumb enough to do it again and she would just end up back in the hospital. On the other hand, she was desperate for coffee. The extra thermos she had brought from home was already empty (she didn't actually remember drinking it) and it was only noon. She _needed_ coffee but she couldn't leave to get some until two hours from then. She didn't know if she could last that long.

Something touched her shoulder and in a reflexive reaction she shot her elbow back.

A choked wheeze of air sounded to her left. Eyelids flying open she stared at the hunched figure of Takahito Shiro with wide, startled eyes.

"S-sorry," he croaked, massaging the ribs on his left side. "Didn't m-mean to startle you."

Shizuka reached out hesitantly to help him. "I am so sorry Shiro-san," she grabbed his shoulder and led him over to one of the chairs against the wall. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yup!" his voice pitched higher at the end as he sat down.

Shizuka bit the inside of her lip uncertainly. "…I don't think I hit you hard enough to break anything, but it will definitely bruise. Stay here, I will go get you some ice."

Before he could even attempt to shakily refuse her offer she was off. The officers closest to them parted like the sea as she passed and she could feel the tips of her ears flush in shame. To make matters even worse Megure was next to the small fridge where they kept spare ice packs. He was flicking through the box of snacks one of the officers had brought in that morning and when Shizuka rushed to grab an ice pack and paper towel his expression turned concerned.

"Shizuka-san, are you-?"

"Excuse me," she muttered hastily, half-bowing her head as she ran away. How humiliating.

Shiro was exactly where she had left him, although he seemed far less winded. He had his head leaned back against the wall with his eyes closed and hands resting lightly over where she had hit him.

"Shiro-san," she called to get his attention. Once he opened his eyes she wrapped the paper towel around the ice pack and held it out to him.

"Thanks," he smiled slightly, twitching as he lifted his blue uniform shirt and pressed it to his side.

"I am very sorry," she apologized again.

He waved her off, moving to stand. "Seriously, don't worry about it. I totally snuck up on you. Anyone here would have done the same."

Unlikely. This was a safe place for everyone that worked there. If anyone was approaching you from behind in a place as crowded with officers like this then you would immediately assume it was another officer. She wasn't sure if she appreciated his attempts at lying to stop her from feeling bad or if it just made her feel worse.

Shiro noticed her frown and grinned. "But, if you still want to apologize then the next time we all go out to eat you can pay for my meal."

She breathed out through her nose loudly and he laughed. "That sounds… reasonable."

"Great!" he cheered with one hand, the other still held firmly to his side. "Now that that's taken care of, I did want to talk to you for a reason. Besides trying to scare you, that is."

"You didn't scare me," she deadpanned, shoulders slowly relaxing at his cheerful attitude. It truly seemed he wasn't going to hold the incident against her.

"Of course," he agreed readily, and she was surprised when she couldn't detect any sarcasm in the statement. "I was going to tell you that Chief Avelia was looking for you and wanted to see you in his office when you had time."

Shizuka stopped herself from scowling. Talking to Avelia was the last thing she wanted to do right now. "Thank you. I'll go see him now."

"Kay," he nodded. Shizuka was about to turn to go but she paused when his hand reached up as though to stop her. "Uh, this might not be any of my business," he moved the hand to scratch at the back of his head, "but are you okay? You seemed really out of it. And you're, you know, really pale."

If she hadn't just elbow checked him in the side she would have ignored the question and kept walking. But she had, and he at least deserved some kind of answer for why he was going to be walking around with a bruise for the next few days.

"I'm just… tired," she offered. "I still have side cases that I do and I… haven't found the best way to juggle those and the ones here yet. I'll be able to rest more once I figure it out."

"Oh," he stared at her. "That sounds like a lot. I mean, you already do a lot here and stay super late sometimes too. I mean, don't get me wrong, that dedication is awesome but aren't you kind of stretching yourself too thin?"

Yes.  
"I'm fine," she shook her head. "It comes with the job."

"I guess," he mumbled, eyes downcast. After a moment he looked back up, eyes bright. "I've got it!"

She felt her left eyebrow arch.

Shiro flushed when he saw it. "Uh, don't mind me! I'll stop taking up your time. Have a good meeting!"

With a rushed wave he dashed off. Shizuka stared after him oddly. Despite the weirdness of that conversation she pushed it from her mind and made her way to the Chief's office.

"Come in," Avelia's gruff voice called after she knocked. He glanced up to see who it was, offered a small smile of welcome, and went back to reading through his files. "There you are Kudo. Take a seat."

Shizuka narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she picked her favorite green cushioned chair from the wall and dragged it over. Kudo was what he would usually call her, before she started working so directly for him. Apparently he figured that if she asked everyone, even strangers, to call her by her first name then calling her by her last name all of the time meant they were friends or something like that. She just didn't want to be tied to the expectations of her family name.

Ever since she started working in the precinct, however, he had been calling her Shizuka. Probably in an attempt to convince the other officers that she was friendly if she had to guess why. He could be calling her Kudo now because they were behind closed doors but that didn't seem right.

"I can feel you burning holes into my skull," he smirked as she sat down. "I'm not tricking you into anything. Scout's honor."

"You were never a scout," Shizuka frowned. "You were banned from joining after you broke another boy's nose on the first meeting."

"Who told you that?" he looked up briefly. "Was it Kita?"

"Your wife is very generous with stories about you," Shizuka shrugged smugly.

The large man grumbled under his breath. "Of course she is. But I was serious when I said I wasn't tricking you. Instead, I'm asking you."

She sighed. Crossing her ankles over one another she rested her temple on the knuckles of her right hand.

"Have you ever heard of the Hatamoto family?"

Shizuka tapped her left index finger on her knee. "Not much. I know they are an extremely rich family and they have appeared in the news a few times but that's about it."

Avelia grabbed a folder off of the pile to his left with his free hand and pushed it towards her. "This is all the information you'll need to know about them. The head of the family, Hatamoto Gouzou, called this morning. His granddaughter is getting married and he wants to make sure that her fiancé is who he says he is."

Shizuka looked up from where she was flicking through the file. "That doesn't sound like a job for the police."

"It isn't," he agreed. "But it is for a private investigator." He looked up before she could speak again. "Before you say anything, yes. He is a large investor in this department. He frequently donates money to departments that are low on funding every few months or so. That's not why I want you to do this."

Shizuka motioned for him to elaborate when he paused, her interest peaked.

"Gouzou is an old friend of mine. We met in college. We help each other out where we can, and you could definitely use a smaller case like this to get your act together."

Shizuka's mouth snapped shut before she could ask 'why her?'. Avelia's gaze was sharp as he stopped what he was doing and put his full attention on the consultant in front of him.

"I don't know what's going on with you," he steepled his fingers in front of his nose, his eyes calculating as he stared over them. "I'm assuming it's about that case you so adamantly refuse to tell me about. And I doubt you'll tell me now no matter what I say or do."

"Avelia-" she started.

"Do not attempt to placate me Shizuka," his eyes narrowed and she fought the urge to look away. "You are a grown woman. I cannot force you to accept help that you refuse to take, even if I try to make you see reason. If you are not going to tell me then that is your business. But your performance is going to start dropping if you keep going the way you are. Regardless of what you do in your own time, you are working here now. You have an obligation to put one hundred percent of your effort into the cases assigned to you alongside Inspector Megure."

Shizuka felt a minor burn of irritation start in her stomach. "I _always_ do my best on cases."

Avelia's posture and expression remained stoic. "Is it really your best if you are dead on your own two feet? Megure has expressed his concern about you over the last few days. You mistakenly drank coffee you are allergic to, and while that was not entirely your fault, it is to my understanding that you did not realize anything was wrong until you couldn't breathe at all. And I saw what happened with Takahito. I suppose it was a good thing you are so exhausted, otherwise you may have done far more damage than a bruised side. Although I doubt you would have even reacted like that, had you been more awake."

The irritation was gone; replaced instead by a coil of guilt and a heavy stone of shame. "I… didn't mean to hurt him."

"I know," Avelia stated truthfully. "But that doesn't change the fact that you did. Regardless of how fond I am of you, Kudo, when you walk through those doors in the morning your safety as well as anyone's around you becomes my responsibility. It becomes every single officer's responsibility. I can't always uphold that, with how dangerous it can be, but I can damn well try and I expect you to do the same. So if you want to keep working here then I suggest you accept that," he pointed at the file in her hands, "and take the time to figure out what your priorities are."

Shizuka swallowed heavily against the lump in her throat. "I understand," she angled her head towards him in a slight bow. Tucking the folder under her arm she stood to leave.

"Kudo," he drew her attention back to him. The lines around his eyes had softened into something sadder. "Take care of yourself. If you won't accept my help, then at least take the measures to help yourself."

The guilt grew, reaching up through her throat to strangle whatever words she might have said to make that look fade into his more common content one. There was nothing she could say that wouldn't be a lie. Instead of answering she twisted on her feet and beelined for the door.

Avelia didn't stop her.

-00-

As Shizuka got older she had believed certain things would change with age. Some were made of common sense. The ability to drink, drive, gamble, leave the country without her parent's permission, and choose exactly what she wanted to do in life with no one really being able to stop her. She had also believed that once she became an adult she would stop feeling like a child. As though her actions were dumb and wrong. Something to be ashamed of. That last belief had yet to come true, and she was starting to realize it most likely never would.

Avelia had always made her feel like a child, but not in the same way her parents had.

Her mother would treat her like a doll more often than not. She new Shizuka's job was dangerous and while she had her concerns she preferred not hearing about how her daughter was chasing down known killers in the middle of nowhere. Shizuka had definitely inherited their family's stubbornness so her mother knew that no argument would change her mind so instead she acted as though she had no idea what her job was like. Shizuka couldn't really blame her. While the fear of losing a child was foreign to her she knew how debilitating losing a loved one could be. And if you knew there was nothing you could actually do about it then would you keep it at the forefront of your mind every single day for who knows how long or would you push it away and try to live without feeling that fear? Her mother chose the latter, and while Shizuka did not blame her for it, it still stung to feel as though her accomplishments were just things to be forgotten. With her mother she felt like a child constantly showing off in a bid for attention.

Her father was the opposite. Instead of ignoring what she did he would analyze it. Find ways she could have done better. With every compliment on a job well done there was a lecture on safer methods or better deductions. She wanted to believe that he didn't notice how useless and self-conscious that would make her feel, but when her entire childhood was spent _knowing_ that her dad was always right it was hard to see how he could possibly be wrong. Which meant it was true because he had never actually lied to them. At least, not that she knew about. Her father made her feel like she was a child thrown into the deep end with no idea how to swim without him.

Neither of them were bad parents. They loved her and Shinichi with all of their hearts, and they only wanted what was best for them. They respected their decisions even if they didn't always agree with them and they would always welcome her home after she had run off without telling them anything. But just because she loved them didn't mean she wanted to be around them all the time. When they weren't around she felt confident and sure of herself. It was a good feeling; one she wasn't willing to give up.

Avelia was in an entirely different category. He never hid his worry with different masks and veiled words. He didn't make her feel like she had no idea what she was doing, or that any of her accomplishments were any less than they were. When he disagreed with her he told her exactly how he felt, offered his advice, and then stood back to let her decide on her own but would still reach out when she needed help again. He didn't make her feel less, he made her determined to be more. With him she wasn't a child because she was less of an adult. She was a child because she was still growing into the person she wanted to be.

But self-improvement and growth often came hand in hand with embarrassment and shame of your past actions. Wanting to be better meant realizing you were worse than you wished to be. It was a hard pill to swallow, to be sure, but a necessary one.

"You're leaving again?" Shinichi blinked tiredly at her as he forced himself through a small set of push-ups.

They were at the park again, fulfilling their promise to start meeting up to keep in shape. He was wearing his usual outfit, sans the jacket, and she was wearing a green tank top and gray shorts.

"Avelia gave me a case," she explained for the third time. "Right now he is my boss, so I have to listen to him."

She had really been banking on his exhaustion making it harder for him to see through her half-truths.

"He would never force you on a case," Shinichi frowned curiously, eyelids blinking slowly as he thought.

No such luck, apparently.

"True," she sighed, flipping off the jungle gym once she finished her last pull up. "But I do owe him a lot. He said it was for a friend of his and it's not like I'm making a lot of progress here. Taking a step back might be just what I need to find the next step."

"Maybe," he trailed off. His eyes drifted dully down to the grass below him. With an exaggerated sigh he slid his arms out until he was laying down with his left cheek pressed into the dirt. "I'll be gone too."

Shizuka frowned curiously. "What do you mean?"

"The old man got invited to a wedding," Shinichi mumbled tiredly. "He's taking Ran and since you won't be here either they'll have to take me too."

Shizuka took a large gulp from her water bottle, flopping down into the grass next to him. "His friend wouldn't happen to be Takeshi would it?"

"No," Shinichi lifted his head, turned it to face her, and let it fall back to its resting position. "Why?"

"The man I'm investigating is about to get married. Just wanted to make sure we weren't talking about the same person."

Shinichi hummed a small acknowledgment. As his eyes fluttered shut Shizuka stretched out next to him with a jaw-cracking yawn. Her mind drifted back to her conversation with Avelia.

Shinichi's case had to come first; always. But even though she had only agreed to work so closely with the department because of her brother she still made that commitment. If she wanted to be of any real use in keeping Shinichi safe then she needed the police department's information and ties, but if she wanted to stay there then she needed to put some things above helping her brother which went against her foremost goal.

She needed a system. A way to manage her time more efficiently while still allowing her to rest when needed.

Shinichi curled in on himself when the sun rose just high enough to force the shadows of the tree they were resting under to draw away from them. Shaking her head to clear the muggy fog that held it captive Shizuka stood and stretched out her arms.

Shinichi grumbled under his breath when she picked him up and carefully maneuvered him onto her back but otherwise didn't fight her. She smiled fondly at him, turning her head so she could press their foreheads together for a moment before she started walking home.

She loved him. Brattitude and all he was still an overwhelmingly kind person who only really wanted to do the right thing. She didn't think it was biased to believe he was one of the greatest people she would ever know. With all of the varied types of people she had met in travels it was undoubtedly clear that her brother was a rare type of person and not just because of his intellect. He still had the self-centered mindset of a teen, which everyone went through at some point in their life, but she could always see the amazing person he was underneath. A bit more maturity would bring that to the surface more and then the whole world would see what she saw.

Shinichi snorted when she took a moment to bounce him up higher for a better grip. His arms tightened minutely around her throat before they went lax once more. It had been a long time since she had been able to carry him like this.

When she approached the Mouri Detective Agency she shifted around so she could use one arm to knock on the door. Distant footsteps answered the call.

Before Ran opened the door she turned her face towards where his cheek was resting on her shoulder and pressed a light kiss to his forehead.

"Love you Nichi," she whispered softly.

The door swung open and Ran's expression melted when she caught sight of them.

"Thank goodness," she breathed, resting a hand over her heart. "He's been so exhausted these last few days and I couldn't find out what was wrong."

Shizuka turned so the tall girl could pull him off her back. "He was just overthinking some things," she offered as an explanation. "Don't worry Ran-chan. He'll be okay."

Ran smiled gratefully. "Thank you Shizuka. You look tired too," her brow furrowed with worry. "You don't have anymore work today do you?"

"No," she shook her head. Avelia would probably fire her the instant she tried walking through the doors if she went back. "I'll probably take a nap."

"Good," Ran whispered. 'Conan' was now tucked against her side with his nose pressed into her shoulder. "I won't keep you here then. You look like you need it."

"Thanks Ran-chan. I'll see you guys later then."

"Goodbye."

As the door started to close Shizuka caught a glimpse of dazed blue eyes. Shinichi lifted his hand, tucking his middle and ring finger down while leaving the other three up.

Shizuka felt the tension drain from her shoulders, lips curling into a warm grin. A strong wave of determination rushed over her and she knew she would find a way to make things work.

Shinichi wasn't going to give up, and neither was she.

-00-

"Would you like a drink ma'am?" the dark haired woman rolling the snack cart down the isle asked.

Shizuka looked up from her book and tugged the ear bud out of her left ear. Glancing over the assortment of treats she paused to debate on how hungry she was. Hatamoto Gouzou had told Avelia that whoever he was going to send would be invited to the wedding ceremony for his granddaughter. The event was being held on a small island called 'Hatamoto Island' that the family owned most of the rights to. The train would take a few hours to reach the pier where only a certain amount of boats traveled to the island each day.

"Sure," Shizuka decided. She had woken up late that morning so she had skipped breakfast (but not her coffee; never her coffee) and the boats might not have anything for her to munch on when she got there. Pulling out her wallet she picked out two small paper containers of fried rice and a fruit parfait in a cup.

"Enjoy," the worker grinned brightly before moving on to the people seated in front of her.

This was exactly why she preferred taking the train than the subway. On a train she could get her own seat, have a meal if she wanted to, and take a nap without fear of being targeted by a pickpocket (usually), smashed up against a wall due to crowds, and less of a chance for any crimes to pop up thanks to the fewer numbers. Crimeless travels were not guaranteed, of course, but the lovely train safety regulations made it less of a possibility.

Opening her bag Shizuka put the rice containers in the remaining space for later and popped the top off of her parfait. Setting it down on the tray connected to the back of the seat in front of her she ripped off the plastic covering for her spoon and shoveled out the granola before placing it in the lid to eat at the very end (it was not a weird way to eat parfaits, shut up).

Holding her spoon in her left hand she picked up her book with her right and picked up where she had left off.

"Shizuka-chan!" an amalgamation of three different voices cheered next to her.

Shizuka's knee spasmed in shock, knocking into the underside of the tray. The parfait shot off the edge, tilting to spill over her shirt and pants. A trail of goosebumps traveled over her skin at the abrupt chill.

"Oops," the same voices whispered softly. When she turned to see who had so rudely shouted at her she was surprised to see her brother's school classmates looking up at her sheepishly.

"Sorry Shizuka-chan," Ayumi had her hands behind her back and her face downcast. The boys standing behind her looked equally ashamed.

Huffing softly through her nose she grabbed some spare napkins to scoop off as much of the parfait as she could back into its container.

"It's fine," she placated as she did so. "But next time try not to yell quite so loudly okay?"

"Okay," they chorused. Soon enough the excited grins were back on their faces.

"We didn't know you were here too Shizuka-chan," Mitsuhiko tilted his head curiously.

"Yeah, yeah," Genta nodded rapidly. "Conan didn't say anything about you being here!"

Shizuka's hand moved slower, the cogs in her brain turning slowly. "…Is Conan-chan here too?"

"Yup!" Ayumi twirled excitedly. "He's in the next train car with his family!"

She must be talking about Ran and Kogoro. Shinichi must not have told them that his parents were in America yet.

"And where are your families?" she questioned.

"At home," Mitsuhiko answered. "Ran-san invited us on a trip to an island and our parents paid for the trip."

"Ah," she folded up the napkin and stuffed it in the container as well. "So you three will be going to the wedding as well." She paused. "What island?"

"The Hatamoto Island," Ayumi stood back a little as she moved to stand up. Her eyes sparkled as she clasped her hands in front of her chest. "It's where people go to get married! It's really popular!"

"So I've heard," Shizuka shook her head. She needed to stop being surprised at how easy it was to run into familiar faces. She also needed to be on her guard. Two members of the Kudo family in the same vicinity, by _pure coincidence_ even, meant an inevitable murder. It had happened often enough for all of them to stop questioning it, and was also why Shizuka made sure to graduate from high school a year early to avoid being in the same school as her brother. They really didn't need their classmates dying on them all the time.

"Sorry about your clothes," Ayumi repeated once they could see the full damage. She really shouldn't have worn a black shirt today.

"I have spares with me," she waved off the apology and grabbed her bag. "I'll go change into them now. Why don't the three of you go back to your seats for now and once I'm done I'll come visit over there."

"Okay!" they cheered, stampeding back down the isle the way they had come. Shizuka chuckled lightly at their energy, wishing she had the same amount they seemed to have.

Maneuvering her way towards the restrooms she knocked on the closest door to make sure it was unoccupied before slipping in. She originally planned on changing into clothes more suited for a wedding on the boat, just in case something happened on the way that would ruin her clothes.

Once again, planning ahead has saved the day.

Wrapping her dirty clothes around one another (and shivering in the cold air of the bathroom) she tucked them around so that the remaining spots of the parfait were on the inside of the bundle so they wouldn't get on any of her other things. After that, she stepped into the dress she had bought on her trip with Yuuko and Yoko. It was a soft shad of pink that came up just above her knees. Her shoulders were bare due to it being completely strapless and the only decorative part of it was the small not that pulled the lose fabric into a delicate swirl right below her chest. Her tennis shoes made it look a little odd so she took those off as well and put on her white slip-ons. They had a small bow on the side of the hole for her feet, right next to where her pinky toes would be.

Hair and makeup could be saved for the boat so she tossed on her white pea coat she had taken with her.

Giving herself a quick once over in the mirror she shrugged. As long as nothing else happened she would be fine. Otherwise she had two back up outfits in her suitcase. An actor always had to come prepared (so sayth her mother).

Tucking her backpack under on arm she unlocked the door and pushed it open.

"Watch it," a gruff voice growled when the door caught them in the shoulder.

"Oh," Shizuka pulled it back a bit for the two men on the other side to pass by. They were dressed head to toe in black. The larger but shorter of the two had his face covered by square sunglasses and the tall, skinny one had startlingly silver hair that reached all the way to his hips. They both wore wide rimmed, black fedoras that cast a rather menacing shadow over their faces. "Sorry," she motioned for them to pass with an apologetic smile on her face.

The tall man glared at her, making the blood in her veins freeze. She forced the smile to remain even as her fingers twitched for the gun in her backpack. The large man seemed about to yell at her for hitting him with the door when he paused.

"It's fine," he shrugged, looking her up and down. He seemed about to say more when his partner shoved him forward. "Ah, sorry Aniki. Watch where you're going next time lady."

"I will," she promised, ducking her head politely when they moved on. Once they passed through the door to the next train car she stepped back into the bathroom and closed the door.

Breathing deeply through her nose she exhaled shakily. Her hands were shaking and a layer of cold sweat covered every inch of her skin. Turning to the sink she caught sight of the extremely pale pallor of her skin.

Those two men had been the ones at Kazimir's house. The taller man's glare had been the one she had felt in the park that haunted her for hours long after she had left.

She needed to warn Shinichi.

Turning on the faucet she cupped her hands under the running water and splashed it up towards her face. Slapping her cheeks a few times to get the blood flowing in her cheeks she dried off with a paper towel and walked back out.

The men hadn't recognized her. The stockier one had seemed to want to say something but he hadn't seemed malicious or angry. In fact, judging by the way his eyes had lingered on her legs for a second longer than necessary it seemed they saw her as just an ordinary woman on the train. She could use that.

Walking as fast as she dared down the isles she darted for the car Shinichi was in.

"Now approaching Nagoya Station," the overhead announcements crackled on as the train began to slow. "All passengers for Nagoya Station please prepare to depart."

By the time Shizuka walked past her own seat and reached the door for the next car the train had come to a complete stop. Sliding the door open her breath caught in her throat when the two men in black walked out the door exiting the train right in front of her. She nearly screamed when she saw her brother running full speed at them with his hand outstretched to grab the tall one's coat.

Ran appeared behind him, snagging the back of his collar and dragging him back before he could make it.

Shizuka's knees felt weak and she had to brace herself against the door to keep herself up for a moment. As Ran lectured her brother for running off in the background she covered her eyes with trembling fingers.

What the actual fuck. Was he going to just- just- _grab_ them and demand to turn him back?! Threaten to have them arrested or that he was going to take them down? What exactly had been his plan there?!

Taking a deep, steadying breath Shizuka pushed off from the door. Face set into a glare she approached the two across the way from her.

-00-

 **Third person Shinichi's P.O.V**

Shinichi shoved down the feeling of failure as Ran lectured him about running away for the third time that day. Being a child was such a _pain_. His attempted killers had been _right there_ and all he could do was eavesdrop on a single conversation and watch helplessly as they walked out yet again with no hopes of finding them.

He wished Shizuka were there. Ran wouldn't be able to stop her from going after them, and he could trust his sister not to endanger herself needlessly like Agasa might if it were him.

As if hearing his thoughts his sister's face appeared over Ran's hunched form but whatever hopes might have built at the sight of her died once he noticed her expression.

His mind flashed back to when he had actually been six-years-old and he had finally figured out who was (attemptedly) bullying Shizuka at her school. He had confronted them and ended up with a black eye for his troubles before their dad found him. Shizuka had the same narrowed, icy glare she had now.

"S-Shizuka-neechan," he paled when her glare turned downright murderous. Ran looked up when he spoke, eyes lighting up when she spotted the small woman behind her.

"Shizuka! What are you doing here?" she wondered curiously.

He gulped when his sister smiled warmly and explained that they were apparently headed to the same place.

"What a coincidence," Ran straightened out her blue skirt as she thought it over. It matched the dark blue turtleneck she had underneath her light blue button up jacket.

"Isn't it?" Shizuka hummed. "You seemed upset a second ago. Is something wrong?"

Ran frowned down at him as she remembered why they were out of their seats.

"Conan-chan has been pulling pranks all day," she explained with a heavy sigh. Shinichi refused to meet the heavy gaze directed his way. "He almost ran off the train a moment ago!"

"That's not good," Shizuka crossed her arms. "Do you want me to try talking to him?"

Ran hesitated. "Are you sure? You've known him for longer but I hate to impose on your trip."

"Don't worry about it," Shizuka's smile showed far too many teeth. "If it helps keep him _safe_ then I'd be happy to."

"Okay," Ran acquiesced. She looked down towards him once more. "I'll be back by our seats Conan-chan. Once you are done talking to Shizuka come sit down with us."

Her tone brooked no argument and he could do nothing to plead for her to say as Shizuka's hand latched onto his shoulder to prevent his escape.

"So," she said with a falsely happy tone, "I'll let you tell me what's going on first. Then you can tell me why you were about to talk to those men."

"You know why," he shook off her hand. He wasn't a child she could manhandle anymore, regardless of what he looked like.

She knelt down in front of him, arms wrapped around her knees. The blank stare on her face made him shift uncomfortably on his feet. "Let me rephrase that then. I know _why_ you did it. I want to know what you were going to do after you got their attention."

Shinichi opened his mouth but nothing came out. What had he been planning on doing next? It wasn't like he could have just asked them for the poison they had used with half-hearted hopes of figuring out an antidote. And short of revealing who he actually was they would never have a reason to take him seriously enough to answer any of the larger questions he wanted to know. Or worse, if they did realize who he was after talking to him. All he had been thinking about was how much he hated being a child again; helpless to everyone around him when they needed it. If he could have gotten even one clue from the men who had done this to him then there would have a hope of fixing things before they got any worse.

He hadn't thought it all the way through.

"I-," he clicked his tongue. "That doesn't matter right now."

Shizuka's eyes narrowed even further, leaving only a slit of blue to peer at him. "…Why?"

At least she was giving him a chance to explain. That was better than Ran at the moment.

"There's a bomb somewhere on this train that's going to go off in half an hour," he explained. The set of her shoulders tensed and her eyes turned focused instead of angry. "I managed to eavesdrop on those two thanks to the Professor's upgrades. They made some kind of transaction with someone and the black case they gave them is rigged with explosives."

Shizuka's hand rose to cup the lower half of her face. "Is there any other way for the bomb to be detonated?"

"Dropping it. Or anything that would shake it around enough to create a reaction," he recalled. "They didn't seem to think that was very likely though."

"Do you know who has the case?"

"No," he shook his head. Closing his eyes he went over everything he knew. "They met in the dining car. Vodka, the codename for the larger one," he offered when she gave him confused look, "was complaining that he couldn't smoke there."

Shizuka frowned. "He can smoke there. It isn't restricted in the dining car."

"Then why…?" Shinichi covered his mouth as he thought. "It must be the client they met then. They must not like smoking. Which would mean that wherever their seats are is most likely in a non-smoking car."

"There are a lot of those on this train," she pointed out. "Families use this particular train line a lot when traveling so the owners cater to their needs more than others. Is there anything else to narrow it down?"

She had a point. Checking all of the cars would take up to much time. What else was there?

"They also said whoever had the case would be back on at their seats 'enjoying the scenery'," he wracked his brain for more answers. "Not very many of these cars have a great view of everything outside."

Shizuka looked over towards the map of the train hanging on the wall by the door. "The green cars do. The second floor is the 'scenic seating' option."

Shinichi scrambled over to the map. All of the areas on the bottom of the green car were non-smoking, but on the second floor there was only one.

"Number 7," he jabbed his finger against the map. "It has to be that one!"

Shizuka stood up to look over him. "It still might be on the first floor," she scowled. "You check Number 7. I'll go through the bottom and whoever finds something first calls the other."

They nodded to each other before splitting up. When Shinichi reached car number seven he was more than sure that it was the right one. Only the high-end rich business men or women could afford a seat there. If someone was making a deal with the men in black over gold they would most likely be wealthy.

Taking stock of the area he noted the four people with black brief cases scattered throughout the seats.

 _'A working salary man type of guy,'_ he listed off in his head. _'A working career woman. The hefty looking old man has his briefcase hugged in his arms. Whatever is in there must be important. And the last one looks like he could be part of the Yakuza.'_

Time to get to work.

-00-

"Ah!" Shizuka stumbled over her feet, almost falling into the woman who was sitting down next to her. "I am so sorry."

"It's okay," the woman looked at her for a moment before returning to speaking with her husband.

Shizuka straightened up and made a show of brushing off the extra creases the fall had made in her dress. Now that she had gotten a better look at the briefcase tucked between the couple she could cross it off the list. There was no lock in place so it couldn't be the one.

"You alright there?" a deeper voice asked from a seat in front of her. A middle-aged man with dark brown hair was looking back at her.

Shizuka's eyes trailed over to the briefcase resting in the empty seat next to him. It was light green.

"Fine, thanks," she brushed him off. Strolling down the aisle once more she tried thinking of a reason to go stay in the car without seeming suspicious. She had been able to make to laps up and down by pretending she had forgotten her jacket the first time but now she was running out of excuses. Chances were Shinichi would be in the same situation but she couldn't go help him until she was sure this wasn't the car with the bomb.

"It's Shizuka-chan!"

She was really starting to love her brother's little collection of kids.

"Hello everyone," she knelt down in front of them, now having the perfect reason to be at eye level with most of the seats so she could see if there were any cases beneath them. So far she could see two she had missed on the first run around. "What are all of you doing out of your seats?"

"We're looking for Conan-kun," Mitsuhiko raised his hand as though he were in school.

"He ran off without telling us again," Ayumi pouted.

"We think he's on a new case," Genta stage whispered (very horribly) behind his hand.

"Oh?" her voice lilted with interest. The two cases she could see from there seemed to be the last ones she had yet to check here. They were right next to each other too, which was a big plus. "That sounds exciting. I think I saw him heading upstairs to car number seven's second floor. Why don't you try looking for him there?"

The kids grinned before rushing past her to get to the stairs. Knowing her brother he would be able to use their appearance to his advantage.

"I want to go to the second floor too!" a young boy cried from his seat. His mother shushed him while his father laughed.

They were right in front of the people with the brief cases.

"Sorry about that," Shizuka offered a demure apology. Moving to stand just a bit behind their chairs she bowed her head respectfully. As her bangs moved to cover her eyes she scanned over the two cases quickly. One was locked but with a closer vantage it wasn't actually black but a very dark blue. The other had no lock.

"Oh don't worry about it," the father grinned widely. "He'll take whatever idea gets into his head just so he doesn't have to sit around anymore."

"I see," she laughed lightly. "Well, if you'll excuse me."

Ducking out of the car she turned just in time to see Ran dragging Shinichi as well as the other children down the stairs and away. Catching her brother's attention she pointed towards the stairs. He nodded but shook his hand from side to side.

 _'So it's definitely up there but he doesn't know who has it,'_ she tapped the tip of her nose.

Shinichi held up four fingers. Drawing an invisible line over his left eye he shook his head and lowered one finger.

 _'Four people with briefcases but the one with the scar over his eyes isn't the target.'_

When she motioned for him to continue he shook his head right before Ran pulled them into the next car.

 _'There isn't much time left. Twenty minutes at most, but it might be less. Shinichi didn't tell me when he figured out it would be half an hour before detonation.'_

Taking the stairs two at a time she opened the door a peered in. An old man was hugging his briefcase against his chest, snoring away. A skinny businessman was typing on his laptop which was resting on his briefcase while the woman behind him had hers resting on the empty window seat next to her. The large man on the left side caught her attention almost immediately. The jagged scar slicing down over his left eye was a dead give away.

"No way," she muttered under her breath. These coincidences were really going to start making her paranoid.

Stepping back and closing the door she dug through her backpack for her makeup bag. Grabbing her compact mirror and black eyeliner she made two small, circular marks underneath the corner of her right eye. Switching the black eyeliner out for brown she dotted along the bridge of her nose and a little over her cheeks to create small freckles. Once that was down she used a bit of her waterproof powder to solidify the look until it was passable enough to be realistic. Yanking out the hair tie in her hair she dug for one of her lesser-used objects. Tugging out a roll of fake red hair she clipped it onto the left side of her head and braided it swiftly between her fingers.

Tucking everything away she entered the cart once again and approached the large man.

"Hideo?" she called, letting her mouth twist with distaste.

The man turned at the sound of his name, eyes widening behind his golden-rimmed glasses.

"Akari?" he gaped at her. "You're in Japan?"

"I never left dumbass," she scoffed. Stepping up next to him she shoved his leg to the side with her foot. "Move over."

Thank Kami she had brought her coat along with her. Tattoos were so much harder to fake without an ample amount of time to prepare.

As Matsuki Hideo scrambled over to the window seat she glanced at the man across from him. He seemed irritated at the loud noises they were making but he kept typing away regardless.

 _'Uptight,'_ she filed away. _'Chronic stress pains in back. Nervous in an angry way. Rushing to meet a deadline? If he had just closed a business deal he might be a bit happier. 40% chance.'_

"What are you doing here?" Hideo asked her once she had flopped down into the seat he had just vacated. She slapped at his elbow when it intruded into her space.

"Going to a party, what does it look like?"

The woman was resting her chin on her hand while she stared out the window. The ocean glistened in the distance.

 _'Relaxed but excited about something. Edges of the top of her foot are red so new shoes. Uncomfortable ones, which means she was dressing to make an impression. For the meeting possibly, or for an interview. 70% chance.'_

Hideo looked like he wanted to lean into her space again so she sent him a glare out of the corner of her eye.

"Sorry," he backed up a bit, scratching the back of his head. "Does this mean your back now?"

"No," she cut that idea off at the start. "Besides, that's none of your business."

The old man had headphones jammed into his ears and she could hear the classical cello music from where they were sitting. His chin was blocking the front of the case so she couldn't see if there was a lock on it.

 _'Hearing problems probably. 90% chance. If whatever was in there were important would he chance falling asleep with it in his arms? Least likely of the three to have the bomb. 20% chance.'_

"Of course," Hideo glanced away awkwardly. "Nice hair," he snorted a moment later. "Liked the old color better though."

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. Damn it, she was running out of time.

A small beeping caught her attention. The woman from before looked at her watch. She tapped a small button on the side to stop the alarm she had set before grabbing her phone and her brief case. As she walked past Shizuka towards the door exiting the car the slouched investigator caught a glimpse of the top of the case.

It had a dial lock imbedded in the front of it.

"Look, I just came over to make sure you weren't going to try anything on this train," she stood suddenly, glaring at Hideo harshly. "Pretend you never saw me."

"But-," he scowled, reaching out for her.

"Don't. Follow me," she growled.

He seemed intent on doing so anyway which made her worry that she had lost her touch, but after a beat he shook his head and sunk back into his seat.

"Fine," he spat, turning to glare out the window. "Do whatever the fuck you want."

She scoffed but all of her attention was on the woman now. Jogging towards the door she ripped it open. Shinichi was running towards the woman who had her phone held up to her ear. A small light on the side of her case, which was resting on the ground next her, was blinking slowly up at them.

"Hey!" the woman reached out to stop him once she saw he was heading towards her briefcase. Shizuka lunged forwards, tackling her just in time for Shinichi to twist the dial on the side of his shoes and kick the case hard enough that it smashed straight through the window across from them.

Three seconds later an explosion rocked the side of the cart. The train shook hard enough to knock anyone that was standing over but it stayed reliably on the rails.

"W-what?!" the woman was shaking, her eyes wide with fear. Shizuka twisted her arms behind her back while she was in shock. The woman froze when she felt the handcuffs snap around her wrists. "W-who are you?!"

Her brother exhaled shakily, success bright in his eyes. "Edogawa Conan," he smirked and she rolled her eyes. "A detective."

The woman sent him a dumbfounded look which only grew when Ran suddenly appeared behind him and lifted him up by the back of his collar.

"Conan-chan," she shook her head. "What did you do this time?"

Shizuka laughed.

-00-

Megure looked her up and down, mouth curving with a disbelieving frown. "How did you know she had a bomb Shizuka-san?"

It had been almost an hour since the explosion. The train had come to a stop and when Inspector Megure showed up he didn't seem nearly as surprised as he felt he had the right to when she came forward with the woman handcuffed in front of her.

"I wasn't sure at first," Shizuka explained as Nathan and his senior officer loaded the woman into their patrol car. "I had been using the restroom and when I came out I saw her standing there. When I passed by her I heard her bag start to beep and I didn't want to take any chances."

Megure nodded, jotting down everything she was saying on a notepad. "So you… threw it out the window?"

Shizuka shook her head. "No. I thought the phone in her hand was what she was going to use to detonate it so I tackled her instead. Conan-chan was there and he kicked it out the window while I was busy with her."

"And your, ahem, face?" he waved his pen towards the moles and freckles she had created earlier.

"I was trying out a new look," she shrugged.

Megure's mustache twitched. "I… see. Well, that's all the questions I have for you for now. I should talk to Conan-kun too."

"Of course," she smiled at him. "If you need anything else from me all you need to do is ask."

He sighed, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder. "I can't say I'm surprised to see you tied up in all of this but I wish these things would stop happening on your days off. You need your rest."

Huh. Avelia must have told him she was taking a break instead of being ordered to leave for a while.

"Don't worry about it sir," she patted his arm before ducking out from underneath it. "I'm used to it."

He leveled her with a monotone look. "That's what worries me."

She chuckled sheepishly but he couldn't stay any longer to ask her more questions. If they wanted to figure out everything that happened they would need to start moving on to the other passengers.

Once he was gone, trying to track down her brother and the Mouri family by the looks of it, she glanced at the steps to the green car again. All the passengers had been ordered to remain in their seats.

Hideo blinked at her in surprise when she sat down next to him again. The silence surrounding them was decidedly more awkward than last time, but this time she wasn't quite sure what to say.

"That bomb wasn't you, was it?" Hideo mumbled out of the side of his mouth, as though afraid to be over heard.

"What?" she tilted her head to look at him with a grimace. "No! Don't be stupid. Maybe it was you."

"You know I don't deal with stuff like this," he snapped back, folding his arms to seem more intimidating.

They glared at each other before he cracked. He smiled broadly, the skin around his lips tugging at the scar. She huffed, amused, and slouched further in her seat.

"It's good ta see you Akari."

"Yeah, yeah, you too," she grumbled, making him laugh. "How is everything? Still going strong?"

"Eh, good 'nough," he lifted his shoulders tiredly. "It hasn't been easy, as usual, but things got better after the Ryu Tora got taken down. Can't believe I'd be thankful for the cops but a lot o' the kids that split off from them after everything was said and done came to us."

Shizuka felt a trickle of relief run down her spine. She had been worried about what had happened to all of the kids the Ryu Tora yakuza with them but if Hideo's group had taken them in then they would most likely turn out fine.

Hideo was part of a gang, although not a very big one. They still stole and vandalized, but never anything big. Usually only the necessities, but she had seen some pretty high tech video game stations that they definitely shouldn't have been able to afford. The occasional fight would break out between his group and another but they rarely, if ever, started it. No, Hideo's group was a better one. They took in kids that ended up on the streets with nowhere else to go and took care of them. Gave them a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs. While other gangs would snatch them up and use them to gain a more powerful foothold in the areas around them Hideo's group taught them how to survive and, after they had adjusted to being away from whatever homes they had come from (if any), they taught them how to get better lots in life. Their leader even had a deal with one of the schools (which was how she had found out about them in the first place) to help keep all of them educated enough to get jobs once they were ready and old enough.

They weren't perfect, not even close, but the kids they were helping responded to them better than they ever had, or ever would, to the police or varied forms of rehabilitation. It was just something that had been ingrained in them and after everything she had seen and learned with those types of kids she couldn't exactly blame them. So she left Hideo's group alone. There were worse criminals out there and as long as they weren't killing or ruining the lives of people around them then she was content to leave them be. She still kept tabs on them though, just in case.

"Good to hear," she yawned, half-heartedly covering her mouth. "How're they adjusting?"

He grunted and removed his glasses to fiddle with them. "Same as all the others, jus' a little more stubborn is all. Older ones didn't like the idea of school but once they saw the youngers gettin' smarter than them they sucked it up. Been mostly smooth sailing since."

She hummed in the back of her throat. "…About before-"

"Didn't happen," he stated with a firm shake of his head. "I don't remember meetin' anyone like you earlier. There was this one grumpy rat that came by but this and that ain't even the same thing."

Shizuka let out a sharp laugh. "Watch who you're calling a rat, asshole. You know I hate those things."

"Don't know why," he leaned back against the window. "S'long as their clean they can be cute. Smart too."

"Your back handed compliments still suck. Have you even tried to get better?"

"Nah. Too much work. Sides, they get my point across."

"Whatever."

They sat together for a while longer but Shizuka took her leave once the police started taking people from that car to question. She didn't need any of the officers or, heaven forbid, Megure seeing her hanging around Hideo or vice versa. That was just a recipe for disaster.

"There you are," her brother's voice drew her gaze downwards. "Where have you been?"

She flicked his forehead hard enough to sting. "Talking to people brat. It's what happens when a bomb goes off."

"Tch," he scowled at her. "Ran wants you to come sit with us so she can make sure you're okay."

"Sure," she agreed, flicking her backpack over her shoulders. "Have they already questioned you?"

Shinichi tucked his hands behind his head as they walked. "Yeah. They bought it easily enough. It doesn't seem like she knew anything about the men in black though. Nothing important at least."

Shizuka reached out and brushed her hand through his hair once. "We'll figure it out. With our luck we'll probably run into them again."

It really said something about their family when that actually seemed to comfort him.

"Anyways," he changed the topic abruptly, "you're going to Hatamoto Island too huh?"

"Yup," she let the 'p' pop as it left her lips. "I'm pretty sure I mentioned that before."

"The old man didn't tell me where we were going," he defended himself from her silent prodding. "I just knew we were going somewhere."

"Great observational skills bro."

"Shut it."

Shizuka tilted her head thoughtfully when he moved on to another topic. Why would he care what she thought of the train food? Unless he was trying to avoid a certain topic in particular.

Ah.

He didn't want her to lecture him about his massive flub from earlier. Which she still really wanted to do because Jesus fucking Christ he almost got himself and probably Ran killed, but he seemed to know that already. And she couldn't keep trying to beat sense into him when it wasn't working. He always had learned best by first hand experience. She just wished that didn't mean facing dangerous situations to create mental epiphanies.

Ugh, this was just making her understand Avelia's point of view even more.

Ran hugged her when they arrived and the kids started a round of a million and one questions about what happened. Kogoro ignored them, mostly, but she noticed him listening in when she explained the story she had fed the police.

Over all the trip was nice (besides the obvious bout with near death) although she missed the opportunity to finish her book. It didn't help that Genta ate her rice bowls when she wasn't looking and that all three of the actual kids had fallen asleep next to her bag so their drool ended up of the handle (which she found out when the train stopped at their actual station).

On the plus side there was no way her brother and her would be on the same round trip back home once they all got to the island. The Hatamoto family had their own personal yacht and she had researched all of the family member that were going to be there so she was one hundred percent positive that she wouldn't run into any more familiar faces. The chances of any crimes, especially murder, would decrease drastically.

Pun completely intended, it would be smooth sailing from then on.

-00-

 **We'll see about that.**

 **I just power read through this again because I realized I didn't saves a lot of the changes I had made before I posted this and a lot of the notes I had made to myself were still there. That's super embarassing. Yeesh. Hopefully it's better now!**

 **I hope you guys like this one! I feel pretty good about it. There was a lot of plot development and I was able to set up a fair amount of things for Shizuka to do for the cases she wouldn't be a part of. And there was a look into some of her past cases and a new alias that will be very important later.**

 **The sign Shinichi was making with his hands means 'I love you' in sign language. I use it a lot with my family.**

 **I mixed the anime and manga in this one because I wanted Gin and Vodka to be there, as well as the Detective Boys. I love those kids, they're so flippin' cute!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **IMPORTANT: For those of you that missed it last chapter, or just usually skim these beginning and end notes, I'm writing one-shots as gifts (and for more writing practice) for anyone who reads and enjoys my stories. The details are at the end of my profile page but its basically just giving me a pairing, a one sentence prompt, and the fandom they are from. Any fandom goes! I've even gotten a request for a pairing with Shizuka which is helping me hash out how a romance with her would go later on so if you want to see what your preferred pairing with her would look like either review or pm me about it and I'll do what I can! (Those would also probably help me decide what pairing will be canon to this story later on. I'll put up a vote further in, but I'd feel a lot better if I knew how it would work out ahead of time).**


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